Hellsing Art Online
by dbzpiccoloofficial
Summary: After the 6,147 survivors of the SAO incident finally woke up from the game, the world finally thought they could rest easy. Unfortunately, 300 people still remain in a comatose state. With a lead to the whereabouts of the comatose players, in the form of a photo of a mysterious girl, Alucard is sent to investigate Alfheim Online. Is Alfheim just a cover for something much darker?
1. The Virtual Plane

_**The first chapter has been officially rewritten. It has undergone a much needed revamp (No pun intended...). The entire thing has been completely rewritten, for the sake of all of the readers.**_

_**The most notable changes have come with the new dialogue. Looking back, I felt that Integra and Alucard were a bit too friendly with each other. I went through and rewatched Hellsing Ultimate, and I realized that they always maintained a strict Master-Servant relationship. **__**Everytime Alucard crossed the line, Integra would berate him. As such, I tried to emulate the OVA relationship as much as possible.**_

_**This was also one of the main reasons that there have been no new chapters posted for the last two months. I wanted to go through the first few chapters to streamline a few things. That, and the fact that I've been a bit too focused on Walter Dornez of the Emblem (My other story, that is being written alongside this one) **_

_**Chapter 8 is almost done. Just be a bit more patient. It'll be out as soon as I'm done fixing the mess that is the first few chapters of this story. I haven't forgotten this story! (Please don't kill me...)**_

**_That's all I have to say for now. Enjoy the rewritten chapter 1!_**

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**_

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

_**BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR**_

_**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**_

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Virtual Plane

**London, England ~ Hellsing Estate**  
**January 20, 2025 (11:08 P.M.)**

Alucard sat in his throne, contemplating his existence for the first time in years. It felt rather odd for him to have a physical body again after being trapped as a conscious without a body for so long. Nothing hid his disdain for what had occurred in his absence.

"To think that the illustrious Hellsing Organization would be downgraded to World Famous Trash Disposal." Alucard sighed as he took a sip of a certain crimson liquid that he was ever so fond of. "I went from vampire hunter to a simple soldier. Still, you could care less, Abraham Van Hellsing. As long as your precious world was safe from vampires, you wouldn't care for what happens to your vampire agent."

He took a moment to stare at the sigils that were placed on his gloves by Abraham Van Hellsing just about 250 years ago. Though it brought him a certain joy knowing that he outlived the only human to ever beat him during his entire vampiric life, he felt somewhat sad to have to continue living when so many others were more deserving of his curse.

"598 years of walking the Earth. Cursed to wander it as a monster until the very end." Alucard closed his eyes for a moment. "Maybe one day, a human with a powerful will will defeat me" He let out a dark chuckle. "598 years old and I still dream like a child. I suppose it's my old age that's talking..."

Not wanting to think about the subject any further, Alucard got to his feet. "Perhaps a mission from Integra will clear my mind..."

* * *

Integra sat at her desk reviewing a few files of interest. Ever since the Millennium incident occurred, not many vampires have dared to show their faces in public, lest they wish to incur the wrath of the Hellsing organization. While Hellsing was still mainly an anti-vampire organization, they now also took covert missions of international importance.

A red file that sat on her desk, which was cleared only a few months ago, had recently caught her interest. The case within the file was originally brought up by the **Japanese Self-Defense Force**, but Integra chose to ignore the case, as the matter did not threaten international, by extension British, safety. Out of curiosity, the head of Hellsing decided to flip through the file, if only for a second.

"**Sword Art Online** **incident. VRMMORPG(Virtual Reality Mass Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) Sword Art Online** rose to infamy on **November 6, 2022**, when the 10,000 people that bought the game became trapped within the game itself. The game was then turned into a death trap, as death in game resulted in death in real life. The death game lasted for two years, with casualties reaching a grand total of 3,853. Half of those deaths were recorded to have occurred within the first month of the game." Integra placed a cigar in her mouth.

Another file was brought up to her just recently. It seemed to be related to the first file, though this one interested Integra even more.

"Of the 6,147 players that were freed from **Sword Art Online**, 300 players remain in a comatose state. The reason for the situation is unknown." Integra raised an eyebrow. She turned the document over to find that there was more to the file.

"Mysterious caged girl found within **VRMMORPG, Alfheim Online**, bears resemblance to comatose SAO player." Integra eyed the two images attached to the file. One of a comatose girl in a hospital with what Integra assumed was, a virtual reality helmet, or Nerve Gear, placed firmly atop her head. The other was of a girl that looked eerily similar to the comatose one. Although the second image was heavily blurred, the resemblance was uncanny.

Integra stroked her chin in thought. She could just ignore the case, but that would make her feel slightly guilty. She could take the case, but be forced to deal with the **Japanese Self-Defense Force** calling the shots.

"I'd sooner become a vampire than take orders from those presumptuous fools in that organization." She spat. "If I did contact them, they're likely to be more of a hindrance than anything else."

"Taking interest in a new request, master?"

Integra rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Alucard? Did I not order you to remain in your dungeon until I request for you?"

The No-Life King phased through the wall, right into the room. "I grow tired of waiting for orders, master. I am itching to annihilate our enemies."

The head of Hellsing scoffed at her vampires impatience. "I seem to recall that you were much more patient 30 years ago, Alucard." She smirked. "Has age made you immature?"

Alucard laughed aloud. "Almost 30 years later and you still posses that sharp tongue that I so love. I am reminding you, Integra, that I am waiting for orders. That is all I am doing."

"You want a mission, Alucard?" Integra eyed the file that she was just looking at.  
_Perhaps I should teach Alucard that not all missions will involve mass bloodshed._ She smiled. "You are to investigate the case contained within this file." Integra handed him the case.

Alucard read through the file and scowled. "This seems to be waste of our time, master. Should we not leave this to that foolish **Japanese Self-Defense Force**?"

Integra scoffed at Alucard's complaints. "Those idiots would not know what to do in the situation. They are far too stupid to understand our methods, Alucard." When Alucard continued to linger in her office, Integra snapped out of her desk. "You just said that you were awaiting your orders! I have given you your orders, so go!"

"You're sending me to go on a possible wild goose chase to find one girl, who may or may not be connected to the 300 comatose patients, in a virtual reality?" He couldn't help but think this mission to be a complete joke.

"This is what we do now, Alucard." Integra replied. "The lack of vampires is something that cannot be helped. Surely you knew that the day that the vampire was wiped from the Earth, you would find yourself unemployed." She breathed out a puff of smoke. "I'm giving you a mission, as so I don't need to decommission you."

"We both know that such a thing is impossible." Alucard smirked. "As your father, and as his father's father, your children will need me. You can never truly destroy an infestation, just suppress it."

"It's important that you learn your place, servant." Integra gritted her teeth. "Show pity for the comatose fools. They did not ask to be imprisoned for nearly 2 years. Those unfortunate 300 souls that remain in slumber deserve to be saved." She smiled. "Perhaps you wish to join them in slumber?"

Alucard chuckled. "You seem to have developed a more unforgiving attitude, my master. Perhaps a bit of Walter and I rubbed off on you."

"Or perhaps I grow tired of this conversation." The head of Hellsing frowned. "Do not think me above sealing you, Alucard. If you do not wish to follow, I can easily trash you like an unused suit."

The No-Life King smirked. "Very well. I'll entertain you for a moment. What do you wish for me to do, my master?"

Integra grinned, satisfied with the result of their little argument. "You are to use your omnipresence ability to materialize within **Alfheim Online**. Once inside, you are to investigate the game thoroughly, all while maintaining your cover. Any problems?"

"Just one..." Alucard crossed his arms. "There is a slight possibility that I won't be able to use my omnipresence in-game. Other than that, I'm sure that I'll still have access to my normal vampiric abilities."

"Good..." Integra returned to her work. "You are to leave first thing in the morning. I have something to give you..."

The No-Life King scoffed. "I can hardly wait..."

* * *

**London, England ~ Hellsing Estate  
****January 21, 2025 (7:00 A.M.)**

The next day, at 7 in the morning, Alucard entered Integra's office to see her with a brief case in hand. "After much thought, I realized that your gun is heavily outdated. I took the liberty of asking our new weapon smith to construct some new weapons for you." She opened the briefcase to reveal its contents. Alucard inspected the weapons inside. Two hand guns, silver and black. Both looked incredibly familiar to the ancient vampire.

"****Hellsing ARMS .989 Casull Auto****." He slowly inspected the silver handgun first. "I'm guessing this is an upgraded version of the **.454 Casull Auto.**" He turned his attention to the black gun. "****Hellsing ARMS 13.7mm Auto Anti-Freak Combat Pistol: Jackal 2.0******.**" He quickly pocketed both of the guns. "Why increase the size of the bullet by 0.7 millimeters?"

Integra shrugged. "I didn't make the gun, Alucard. I just give the orders." She reached under her desk to reveal a crimson claymore, which sat comfortably in it's sheath.

"Oh, what's this?" Alucard easily lifted the sword with one hand. "How nostalgic..." He unsheathed the sword, closely inspecting the shimmering red blade. Etched midway up the blades length was the name of the claymore.

"I present you, **Hellsing BLDS 001: Crimson Nosferatu**." The head of Hellsing laughed in amusement as she watched her pet vampire slash the air with the sword. "The first of it's kind. It was created from some of the strongest steel possible. It's strength was enhanced through various rituals. To make it better, the sword is blessed."

"Tell Walter's replacement that this blade is perfection!" Alucard clipped the sword onto his belt.

Integra chuckled to herself. "He'll be pleased to receive praise from one of the pickiest members of Hellsing." Her smile quickly faded. "You have your orders, Alucard. I expect them to be followed to the utmost detail."

Alucard bowed in respect. "As you wish, my master..." The vampire let out a dark chuckle, as slowly faded into nothing.

* * *

**Alfheim, Sylph Territory ~  
****January 21, 2025 (7:12 A.M.)**

Alucard felt a sudden breeze as he slowly materialized in the virtual world. He opened his eyes, being greeted with the sight of a dense forest. The moon was just falling below the horizon to the west while an orange glow slowly peaked in the east. The scenery would've been considered beautiful to anyone else, but to Alucard, this was nothing new. To him this scenery was just there and nothing else.

He took a moment to test something out. He swiped the air with his left index finger, and much to his surprise, a menu popped up. It didn't really make sense, saying he wasn't even using an actual player.  
__I guess the game still considers me a player___. ___It doesn't really make sense, but I'm not arguing about it. __He clicked on a button labeled 'Inventory.' Much to his surprise each piece of his clothing was individually labeled as a custom object and given a name.  
__That's weird___. _He scratched the back of his head.

Alucard's checked his map next. Apparently he was in what the game classified as Slyph territory. His first objective was to find a town where he could gather information without drawing too much attention to himself. From what Integra had briefed him on the night before, apparently the weapons in the game consisted of swords, spears, and other various medieval weapons. "I guess I won't have a chance to test out my new guns just yet." Alucard sighed in disappointment. On the upside he was excited to test out his new sword.

"The closest city seems to be a Sylph city named Swilvane." Alucard took a moment to ensure that his sunglasses did not fall off. He couldn't have anyone accuse him of being a vampire. He smiled in anticipation as he imagined the kinds of foes he'd meet in this new land. "Perhaps this little venture won't be too bad, after all..." Alucard began to laugh madly.

"Give me your best, Alfheim..."


	2. The Black Swordsman and The No Life King

_**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**_

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

_**BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR**_

_**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**_

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Black Swordsman and The No Life King _**(Rewrite)**_

**Alfheim, Sylph Territory ~ Swilvane  
January 21, 2025 (8:10 A.M.)**

It took Alucard nearly half an hour to reach the glorious city of Swilvane. Well glorious was really stretching it by Alucard's standards. "The emerald color would be nice if it wasn't such a damn eyesore." He was glad that he was wearing sunglasses, otherwise his eyes would've melted.

As he wandered through the crowded streets of Swilvane, he got several dirty looks, which rather got on his nerves.  
_These people are lucky that I don't need blood to maintain my powers in game_. Alucard grinned. _If I did I'm certain half this cities population would become nothing but mutilated corpses. _He chuckled inwardly at this. _I just might do that now that I think about it._

Of course, he held himself back. He wouldn't want to draw too much attention to himself. As amusing as it was, Integra's temper wasn't something he wanted to deal with at the moment, omnipresence or not.

After asking around the city, Alucard quickly realized that information on his target was nonexistent. The only pieces of information he obtained were just little facts about the structure of the land. He found the idea that the 9 races of ALO were in what could only be described as an endless power struggle, as completely idiotic. "Whether it's real life, or a virtual reality, you humans will never live peacefully with each other." He sighed. "If they did band together, they would've defeated me a long time ago." Alucard said in disappointment.

"Here I was, thinking that someone would pique my interest." The No-Life King groaned in utter discontent. "There has to be someone in this foolish reality that has some information of use to me..."

* * *

**Alfheim, Sylph Territory ~ Swilvane  
January 21, 2025 (8:26 ****A.M.)**

Meanwhile, a Spriggan dressed in all black and a rather well endowed blond Sylph, slowly made their way to the Wind Tower at the center of town.

"Why'd we come here?" Kirito just stared at the tower in confusion.

"Well…" Leafa put her hands on her hips. "When traveling long distances, it's best if you start at a higher altitude. That's what the tower is here for." She explained.

"Oh." Kirito sighed. "That makes sense." He was feeling slightly triggered, considering that he crashed into that same tower the night before.

Before he could react, Leafa began to push Kirito inside. "Come on, let's go!" She smiled cheerfully. "I want to get past the forest before it gets dark." Kirito had no choice but to oblige.

Inside there were various other Sylphs, probably deciding where they were heading for the day.

_It's so peaceful._ The Black Swordsman smirked. He was suddenly taken out of his thoughts when Leafa suddenly started dragging him to an elevator located in the middle of the room.

"Come on slowpoke." Her cheerful demeanor made Kirito smile.

"Leafa!"

The two of them turned around to see 3 heavily armored Slyphs approaching them. Leafa seemed to be slightly annoyed. "Oh, hello Sigurd."

The man in the front was apparently the leader. "What's this I hear about you leaving the party? Is that true?" He asked.

He seemed stoic, and that heavily reminded Kirito of commander Heathcliff, from SAO.

"Well..." Leafa hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, it is..."

Sigurd didn't seem to be enthused at all by her answer. "Do you have any idea how much that's going to upset the other party members?"

"You said it wouldn't be a problem if I joined only when I had the time." The blonde Sylph took a small step forward. "You also said that I could quit whenever I want to."

"Yes, I know what I said, but you've been with us for awhile now. Everyone knows you. If you leave us it's going to damage the reputation of the party!" Sigurd began to raise his voice. This caught the attention of several onlookers.

Leafa grunted under her breath. She realized that Sigurd wasn't going to let her go that easily.  
_I knew this would be a bad idea._ She was prepared to give up when Kirito took a small step forward.

"Party members are not items." He frowned at the tall Sylph commander.

Sigurd was taken aback. "What did you just say?" His eyes narrowed slightly.

Kirito walked over to Sigurd to glare at him eye to eye. "Party members aren't items, so don't expect them to be on call for you." His confidence was evident by the fact he wasn't backing down. "Their not your sword. Their not your equipment."

Sigurd's arm darted for the hilt of his sword. " You son of a…" He cut himself off. "I bet that big mouth of yours got you thrown out of your own territory. Let's see what you've got you piece of Spriggan trash!"

Leafa suddenly regained her confidence. "Okay that's enough! Kirito is my new partner, so leave him alone!"

"What!" The Sylph second-in-command was shocked at the sudden turn of events. "Leafa! You're abandoning us to be a renegade like him?!" His tone suddenly became aggressive.

"Yes, I am!" She answered. "And I'm not coming back, ever!"

That was the last straw for Sigurd. He promptly unsheathed his own sword. "I don't give a damn about you buzzing around my party members." He pointed the blade at Kirito's neck. "But if you think you can steal them, that's another story. If your stupid enough to waltz into another races territory, then it's your own damn fault if you get killed, Spriggan!"

Kirito knew that he wasn't allowed to fight back, because the game didn't allow for races to be killed within their own cities.  
_No choice but to run then..._

Before anyone could move, a crimson claymore flew right into the ground between Sigurd and Kirito.

"How cowardly..." A deep voice resonated around the entire room. "Three adults ganging up on two children. I guess it goes to show that, whether it be the real world, or the virtual one, there are no limits to the amount of foolish cowards in the world."

Everyone's attention turned to a man wearing a red duster trench coat, a fedora, and orange tinted sunglasses.

_That's some weird equipment he has_. Kirito took note of the fact none of his clothes really blended with the world.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He mockingly bowed to Sigurd. "My name is Alucard." He had a large grin plastered on his face. He proceeded to pull his sword out from the ground with one hand.

Kirito and Leafa just stared at him.  
_Who the hell is this guy?_ Leafa was shocked. _I'm pretty sure that claymore is really heavy._  
_Not to mention the fact that it was a good 4 feet into the ground.' _She eyed the blade_. 'It doesn't look like any other sword I've seen before._

Sigurd didn't like the look of this guy, or his attitude for that matter. "How dare you call me a coward!" His grip on his sword tightened. "I am the second-in-command of the Sylphs! I am commander of it's army and the only reason it's territory hasn't burned to the ground yet!" He scowled at Alucard, who seemed to be uninterested. "You dare accuse me of being a coward!" He then raised his arm in preparation to strike Alucard down. "I'll teach you your place!"

Before the blade even came down on the Nosferatu, Alucard punched the Sylph in the nose, launching the commander into the wall. "You're even more pathetic than I thought." Alucard just stood in place. He sheathed his large claymore. "As a fighter, you're nothing but shit. Your little stunt proved that much."

Leafa was trying to process what had just occurred before her eyes.  
_He shouldn't even be able to defend himself against Sigurd. The game doesn't allow for other races to attack someone in a town within their territory_. Her eyes were planted on Alucard._  
What is he?_

Sigurd slowly stood up. The Slyph second-in-command wasn't in the least bit amused. He was just publicly humiliated by some rogue. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He charged at Alucard with the intent to behead the cocky bastard. Before he was anywhere close to Alucard , the vampire became nothing but a crimson blur. The next thing Sigurd knew was excruciating in his chest area. He looked down to see Alucard had impaled him with his hand.

"Pathetic dog..." Alucard watched as Sigurd slowly dematerialized, leaving nothing but a emerald flame. "I cannot be defeated by dogs." He then turned his attention to Sigurd's two terrified accomplices."I'll give you a chance to run away. If you're both lucky, I may even let you go." His bloodthirsty grin widened. The two remaining Sylphs ran away in fear of Alucard. "Pathetic pieces of shit. They aren't worth my time..."

Kirito was speechless. Never in, his entire career of MMO gaming, had he seen anyone as powerful as Alucard.  
_He would've wiped the floor with Heathcliff with skills like those_. Kirito ran up to the tall man. "Those are some awesome skills you have. Where'd you learn them?"

Alucard stared silently at the young man. "Years of experience..." The No-Life King was about to leave when Leafa stopped him in his tracks.

"Not many people can go toe to toe with Sigurd like that, let alone, without a weapon." She looked at him suspiciously. She was going to get some answers, whether he liked it or not.

"Hey, there's no need to mad dog him like that." Kirito cut in. "Anyway, I'm Kirito and the one mad dogging you is Leafa." He introduced himself.

The ancient Nosferatu eyed both of the teenagers. "You may call me, Alucard."

"Yeah, I know. You introduced yourself when you interrupted Sigurd." Kirito smirked. "So, where you heading?"

Alucard thought for a moment. He could ask them if they knew anything regarding his objective.  
_I don't think that would be a good idea at the moment. One thing at a time._ Alucard began grinning. "Where could I possibly meet the Game Master of Alfheim?" That was his best lead to the 300 comatose SAO players.

Leafa sighed. "You too, huh." She was annoyed that she had to explain this to another person. "You guys should do some research, before you make an account." Her legs were beginning to kill her, so she sat down. "In order to meet the GM, King Oberon, you need to get to the World Tree, which is at the center of Alfheim. Once you get there, you need to climb the inside of the tree to get to the floating city at the top." Leafa gestured toward Kirito. "I'm taking him there right now."

Alucard eyed Kirito. "What do you have to gain at the top?"

The blonde Sylph stretched her arms out. "Once you reach the top, you'll be reborn as an Alf. Alfs have the ability to fly for an infinite amount of time, in game. A pretty awesome reward." Leafa explained.

Alucard noted the complete lack of reaction from Kirito. He didn't seem as enthused about the reward as Leafa did.  
_If the prize doesn't suit him, why pursue it at all? What could this boy possibly gain from this? Begs the question, what else lies at the top?_ The ancient vampire narrowed his eyes, which weren't visible underneath his heavily tinted sunglasses. "You don't seem that interested in this Alf thing. Why are you really going to the World Tree?" Alucard asked curiously, his toothy grin never faltering.

Kirito stared at the ground. "I think that there's someone at the top of the tree, waiting for me..." His voice trailed off.

Alucard noted the somberness in the kids voice. _It's obvious that this person at the top of the tree is close to this kid. If I had a hunch, I think we're after the same thing. I guess I could travel with these two until their usefulness runs dry. _He chuckled under his breath. "How about I accompany you two, just until we get to the World Tree. You could say that this prize merits some investigation." Alucard lied.

Leafa, although every part of her told her otherwise, decided to trust the odd player. "Why not? What's the harm in partying up with one more player?" She turned to Kirito, to get his opinion on the matter.

Kirito shrugged.  
_I guess it's okay. As long as I can get to Asuna before the week is out, I'll be fine__. _He put on a fake smile "Okay, you can come with us."

While the smile fooled Leafa, Alucard was a bit more suspicious of the action. _He seems like he's hiding something. Whatever, as if it concerns me. I'll just end up abandoning him, later on, anyway._

"So, lets get moving." Leafa dragged Kirito into the elevator leading to the top of the tower. "Are you coming, ALucard?"

Alucard smirked as he stepped in with his new companions.

Once they were at the top of the tower, Kirito and Leafa took a moment to admire the view. The view from the tower was absolutely wonderful. Kirito swore he could see every corner of the map from there.

"Wow." He muttered under his breath. "This is an amazing view. The sky is so close, it's like I could reach out and touch it."

"I know right?" Leafa was also entranced by the view. "Whenever I look up at that sky, everything else feels so small." She reached out in an attempt to grab the sky.

As much as the morning sun irritated him, Alucard had to admit that it was a beautiful sight. The vampire stared at the sun, greatly admiring the sight.  
_I always wonder, when I look at the sun, am I dreaming? Then I remember my long history. A history filled with so much death. The sun seems to stare back, asking me "Why? Why did I forsake my humanity?" The only answer I am capable of giving is, confusion. Perhaps I will never know why I forsook my humanity, and perhaps it's better that way._

Leafa lowered her hand. "The timing couldn't have been any better..." She stared at the horizon. "I've been thinking about leaving here for a while now..."

"Okay, but I feel like it's my fault that you left on bad terms with those guys." Kirito looked over at Alucard. "It's mostly his fault though..." He grinned as Alucard scoffed at his comment. "I'm not the one that went and killed your former boss."

_Stupid kid. _The vampire frowned.

The blond Sylph smiled at his comment. "I don't think it could've happened any other way, so it's fine. Although killing Sigurd was slightly unnecessary." She laughed.

Alucard rolled his eyes. "Ungrateful brats." He mumbled under his breath.

Something was bothering Kirito. "What did Sigurd mean by renegade?"

"A renegade is a player who abandons his, or her, territory." Leafa explained. "If you get branded as one, everyone is going to look down on you."

The vampire's smile widened. "I see you don't care that you might be branded as a renegade."

"Yeah, I don't really care..." She smiled at the tall man. "But I don't understand why everyone is so quick to tie each other down like that. I mean what's the point in having wings, you know?"

"You have no idea how many times that exact same thought has crossed my mind." Alucard sighed. "Humanity will never learn. There will always be that one group of people, that persecute the innocent. How many fools died because of the foolishness of Vlad the Impaler? How many idiots gave into the regime of the third Reich? The number is numerous." His expression softened as he recalled his history as the impaler prince. "But where there are fools, there are also men. I don't mean the average pedestrian either. I'm talking about the men who were willing to face these monsters in combat. As little faith I give humanity, there are always a select few that impress me. My lesson to you is this, "Don't lose faith in humanity, no matter how bleak their destiny seems."."

Kirito and Leafa were surprised by Alucard's speech. "Looks like you aren't that bad after all." Leafa laughed.

Kirito's breast pocket began to shift slightly. A small pixie flew out of it seconds later. "You humans are so complicated." Alucard stared at the tiny pixie in confusion. "Honestly, your psychology is confusing." She stood on Kirito's shoulder, like a bird. "Why do you act so horribly to each other when all you want is companionship?"

Leafa turned her head to face the pixie. "What do you mean?"

"If it were me…" The pixie kissed Kirito's right cheek. "…I'd do that. It's simple, straightforward, and efficient."

Alucard proceeded to poke the pixie in the back, checking whether or not he was hallucinating. "Looks like she's real.."

"Hey that wasn't very…" She stopped to look at Alucard, who had his signature smile plastered on his face. "AHHH!" She darted right behind Kirito.

"Don't worry Yui." Kirito said softly. "He's not going to hurt you. In fact, he's going to help us get mommy back."

The pixie cautiously came out of her hiding spot.

"Alucard, meet Yui. Yui, meet Alucard." Kirito introduced the two.

The No-Life King was once again curious. "If I'm not mistaken, she said "mommy", am I correct?"

Yui nodded. "Well, Kirito is my daddy. Mommy is trapped, so daddy and I are going to find her at the center of the Alfheim."

Alucard chuckled inwardly upon hearing this. "Is that so? My, teenagers are very active. Things sure have changed, since my day..."

Kirito had an immense blush on his face. "It's not like that!" He flailed his hands in embarrassment. "I never..." His voice trailed off. He would be a liar if he said he never did the "horizontal tango" with Asuna. "Nevermind..."

"Leafa!" The trio turned to see a young boy running towards them. Alucard could've sworn he heard Kirito thank God for the interruption.

"Hey Recon." Leafa said simply.

"How could you do this?" Recon stopped in front of Leafa and Kirito, seemingly oblivious to Alucard's presence. "You could've at least said something before you left."

Leafa smiled ackwardly. "Oh, sorry. I guess I forgot."

The small Sylph groaned in disappointment. "Why'd you quit the party all of a sudden like that?"

"Well, I didn't really think too hard about it." The blonde Sylph replied. "I just did it." She tilted her head slightly. "What are you going to do, though?"

"As if I'd let you go off on your own with a complete stranger, Leafa." Recon pulled out a tiny dagger. "It doesn't matter where you go. My sword belongs to you and you alone."

Alucard burst into laughter. "Do you seriously think that you would contribute anything to our cause?!" Alucard towered over the small boy.

Recon jumped, as didn't even notice the incredibly intimidating man. "Yea…Yeah, of course." He stuttered. Recon gathered all of his courage, and stood to his full height, which wasn't very impressive compared to Alucard. "I mean it when I say I won't let Leafa go off on her own."

_A perfect example of a human with a backbone. _The ancient vampire mused. "You aren't all that impressive, but I admire your tenacity. That fool I killed downstairs wasn't all that tough, and you don't look any tougher, but I would be a fool to let appearances fool me."

Recon tensed. "You're that guy who beat Sigurd!" He exclaimed.

"Yes." Alucard crossed his arms. "Thank you for reminding me that that dog had a name. I take it that he'll think twice before charging blindly at a foe?"

Kirito slammed his sword into the ground. "If you don't mind we have a tree to get to." He promptly sheathed his sword.

Leafa nodded. "Yeah, I think the party is full enough as it is. Sorry Recon, we'll hang out later, okay."

Recon blushed. "Okay, I'll see you later. Besides..." He suddenly got serious. "there's something that's been bugging me." He eyed Alucard, who gave him a feral grin. "I can't prove anything yet so bye!" Recon ran back into the elevator, in fear of sparking Alucard's wrath.

"That was odd." Kirito scratched the back of his head. "Anyway..." He summoned his wings. "Let's get going."

Leafa nodded. "Right." Her wings were summoned a second later.

The duo turned to Alucard.  
_So that's why they call the game "Alfheim Online"_. He would be in trouble if he couldn't fly along side them. _Such a fascinating land, Alfheim. Perhaps I'll come back to this place, after my mission is done. _

Alucard suddenly exploded into a swarm of bats, which reformed into a large vampire bat. The bat flew up to the two, surprised, fairies at an incredible speed. "What are you waiting for?" Kirito and Leafa stared into it's crimson eyes. "An invitation?" The bat flew off, leaving the two fairies in the dust.

"Hurry up, daddy!" Yui flew into his breast pocket. "We're gonna lose him!"

"Right!" Kirito flew off after Alucard. He was not about to be out done by a bat.

"Wait up!" Leafa proceeded to give chase.

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ On top of the World Tree  
****January 21, 2025 (9:00 A.M)**

Meanwhile, high atop the World Tree, Asuna Yuuki sat imprisoned in a birdcage. She sat on her bed as her captor slowly caressed the skin of her arm.

"My dear Titania..." The man spoke in a rather eloquent tone. "When are you going to give in to my desires?" He slowly moved his hand toward her chest.

Asuna slapped the pervert's hand away in disgust. "Never!" She said defiantly. "And don't call Titania. My name is Asuna." She turned away from him. "So leave me be, Sugou."

The man stood up and laughed. "No need to be impolite, I was merely..." He licked his lips. "...admiring your beautiful body. There's also no reason to call me Sugou, Titania. In here I am Oberon, the Fairy king!" He grabbed her cheeks. "And you are Titania, my stunning bride."

"Not for long..." Asuna pushed his hands away once more. "He's coming to save me..."

Sugou was amused by her defiance. If anything, it made him want her even more. "Who will?" he sat himself down. "That hero boyfriend of yours. The one that goes by the name of Kirito?"

Asuna turned around upon hearing his name.

"Please, you think I didn't know? His real name is Kazuto Kirigaya." He was amused to see how surprised Asuna was. "I met him the other day, in the real world. I could hardly believe that weak little boy was the one that beat **Sword Art Online**. I hardly contained my laughter."

Asuna was absolutely livid.

"Where do you think I met him? In your hospital room of course." Sugou began to laugh. "When I told him that you were to marry me in a week, all the color drained from his face. It was absolutely hilarious." His laughter echoed around the birdcage. "i wouldn't put too much faith in that scrawny brat, anyway. He probably won't have the guts to put the NerveGear on, ever again!"

A small ringing suddenly sounded off.

Sugou sighed as he tapped his bracelet. "What is it? I'm busy!"

The speaker echoed to life.

"Sir, it appears someone entered themselves into the game without the use of a NerveGear, or an Amusphere."

"What?" Sugou was visibly shocked. "How the hell is that possible? Give me information."

"He just appeared last night, and he's been wandering around since then."

The Fairy king gritted his teeth. "Get me a one way video feed of this player."

A screen suddenly appeared in front of Sugou. It showcased a man that appeared to be in his early thirties, wearing a red coat and fedora, a rather well endowed blonde Sylph, and finally a Spriggan dressed in all black.

Asuna's eyes were immediately drawn to the Spriggan. There was something familiar about him, she just couldn't put her finger on it.  
_Who is he?_

Sugou eyed the one in the red coat. "I never programmed anything remotely close to the things he's wearing." He crossed his arms. " And custom content won't be available for usage until the next update."

After much thought, Sugou decided he was getting some answers. "System Command! Toggle username display!"

A second later, usernames appeared above the three avatars on screen.

"Let's see who you are, my little friend..." The names of the three players were displayed on screen. "Alucard, Leafa, and..." Sugou's eyes threatened to burst out of his eye sockets. "What the hell is 'he' doing here?"

There it was. The Spriggan's user name was displayed right above his head

"Kirito!" Asuna stood up. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Sugou was on the edge of panic "Cut the video feed!" The video feed stopped instantly. He paced around the cage for a few seconds before speaking into his wrist again. "It seems there are three little pest that must be dealt with. Contact the Salamander Commander. That leech must be eager to do my bidding." he spoke into his wrist.

"But sir you said…"

"I know what I said!" Sugou began make his way out of the cage. "There are a few players I need them to get rid of. Tell them that if they do, I'll reward them with the prize of being an Alf." He quickly punched the code to the cage's lock and exited. "Don't worry, Titania." Sugou glanced at Asuna. He shot her a dark little grin. "Your little hero is about to be dealt with..."

As soon as Sugou left, Asuna burst into tears. "I can't believe it." She cried. "He's alive..." The captive queen smiled.

"...And he's coming for me."

* * *

_**Writer's Notes**_

**_Rewriting_**_** this one was utter hell. There were so many mistakes that had to be fixed. Hopefully, I caught the really bad ones. **_

_**I changed a bit of the dialogue, just as I did last chapter. They're only little changes, just done to make the dialogue more in character. **_

_**Overall, I think that this chapter has benefited immensely from the rewrite.**_

**_Have a comment, or just want to praise the story? Leave a review! Like the story? Follow and Favorite it!_**

**_See you next Chapter!_**


	3. Monster

_**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**_

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

_**BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR**_

_**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**_

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

Chapter 3: Monster

**London, England ~ Hellsing Estate**  
**January 21, 2025 (9:18 A.M.)**

"I'm back Sir Integra!" Seras had just returned from a mission in France. A small vampire infestation had taken root there. It wasn't a very difficult mission though.

"Times sure have changed." Seras sighed as she dropped the case containing her Harkonnen cannon.

"Welcome back Seras." Integra sat within her office filing more paperwork.

"Sir Integra." The former police girl vowed in respect. "The vampire infestation has been dealt with."

Integra smirked. "Very good Miss Victoria."

Seras noted that something was odd. No one was harassing her at the moment, nor playing cheap trick on her. "Where's Master?" She asked.

Integra eyed the young woman. "I sent him on a long term mission."

"Another Vampire?"

Integra shook her head. "Not at all."

Seras' eyes widened. "That's odd, even for master."

"Why is that?" The head of Hellsing lit a cigar as she skimmed through more files.

"I thought master wouldn't take missions like that, considering how he reacted to the news 2 days ago." She shivered at the memory.

* * *

**London, England ~ Hellsing Estate  
****January 17, 2025**

"What?" Alucard glared daggers at Integra. "Hellsing is a defense against the undead! Not the world's babysitter!" The No-Life King growled.

Integra crossed her arms. "After the Millennium incident, vampire attacks have become scarce." She placed her hand on her forehead. "The British government tried their best to convince the world that the incident 30 years ago was just some terrorist attack. Fortunately the public bought the cover story." Integra frowned. "However, as a result, the Hellsing Organization became public knowledge. It became known as the best anti-terrorist organization in the world. As a result the United Nations often sends us to resolve various terrorist activities and global catastrophes." She finished.

Seras did not like how agitated Alucard looked. "Master?"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE WORLD!" Alucard slammed his fist into Integra's desk. "I HUNT THE UNDEAD! I'M NOT SOME SORT OF DEFENSE THAT YOU CAN USE TO SOLVE EVERYTHING!"

Integra drove her fist into her desk. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY!" The duo glared into each other's eyes.

"I REFUSE TO TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU!"

Alucard growled.

"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE IN THE MATTER!"

"YOU'VE BECOME SOFT INTEGRA!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF THIS!"

Seras smiled sheepishly as she watched the two exchange insults.  
_If only Walter was here. He would've broken these two up by now._ She laughed. "You two look like a married couple."

"WHAT WAS THAT POLICE GIRL?!" The arguing duo turned around and punched Seras in the face

* * *

Seras rubbed her cheeks. _Those two have quite the right hook_. She laughed inwardly. _I wonder what master is doing right about now._

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Lugru Passage  
****January 21, 2025 (9:22 A.M.)  
(Note: Japan's clock is 9 hours ahead of England's clock, so it's 6:22 P.M. for Kirito and Leafa.)**

"Are you sure you don't need me to cast night vision magic on you?" Kirito stared at Alucard, who refused to have magic cast upon him. "I mean, you could at least take those glasses off. This cave is already dark enough WITH night vision magic."

Alucard gave Kirito a glare. "I'm telling you, I can see just fine. If you know what's best for you, you'd mind your own business."

Kirito took a cautionary step back. "Okay, okay. I'm just making sure."

"If you two don't mind, we have to get through this cave." Leafa interrupted. "If you guys want to get to the World Tree at a decent rate, stop arguing."

Kirito nodded. "Fine."

The two fairies looked at Alucard. "So be it."

Leafa smiled. "Good, now follow me."

After half an hour or so of wandering through the cavern, Kirito began to practice his magic skill.

"_Seya urata noto?_" He sighed in frustration.

Leafa laughed. "No, you're just memorizing the words. You have to learn what the words in power mean first, and then match them with the effects of the magic." She explained. "That's how you memorize spells."

Alucard scoffed. "Seems like a waste of time." He unsheathed his blade and slashed the air a few times. "Using a sword is much easier. It doesn't require useless incantations."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll stick to fighting then. I don't have time to memorize all this stuff."

"You guys complain too much." Leafa stopped to look at the duo. "It's really not all that difficult once you learn the basics."

A small ping suddenly sounded off.

"Oh, someone's messaging me." The blonde clicked on her inbox. "Sorry I have to get this."

Kirito and Alucard nodded.

Leafa's eyes narrowed. "It's Recon again." She sighed. "It's probably nothing, but I'll check anyway."

A small screen appeared to display the message.

"It says; I was right. Be careful s." She read aloud. "That's it? What does that mean? S." Leafa began to mutter incoherent words that started with s. To Alucard, they sounded like gibberish. She stopped her muttering just a few seconds later.

"What's wrong?" Kirito asked.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Yui suddenly popped out of Kirito's breast pocket. "Daddy! I'm picking up movement behind us!"

The Black Swordsman's eyes narrowed. "Are they monsters?"

The pixie shook her head. "No, their players. A lot, twelve total."

Leafa gasped. "You're kidding!"

Alucard smirked. "They've probably been tracking us." He tightened his grip on his claymore. "It's a good thing too. I've been itching for a good fight for the last few days."

"You can't be serious!" Leafa stared at the vampire king. "You may be strong but that's still twelve players! They might even have mages with them!" She grabbed Kirito and then dragged him into a small alcove. "Come on Alucard! We need to hide!"

He wasn't used to taking orders from anyone but Integra, so swallowing his pride to follow a little girl wasn't going to happen. Sure Integra was 12 when she gained control over him, but she had already gained his respect by then. Leafa hasn't done anything that warranted his respect just yet.

"Then you hide!" Alucard grinned in anticipation. "I refuse to take orders from you!"

At that moment a large vampire bat zoomed in front of Alucard.

A vampire?

Leafa's eyes widened.

Oh crap. She quickly jumped out of her hiding spot.

Kirito became rather confused. "I thought we were supposed to be hiding!"

"That bat is a high-level tracing searcher! We need to kill it!"

Upon hearing this, Alucard swatted the bat out of the sky. He watched in satisfaction as it dematerialised. "If I didn't know any better I would have assumed that was a vampire." Alucard muttered under his breath.

"Come on! We gotta go!" The blonde Sylph started running. "It's no use hiding at this point! They already know where we are!"

Kirito gasped. "Let's go Alucard!"

The No-Life King eyed the boy. He was going to ignore him, just like how he ignored Leafa earlier, but something told him to follow.

"Fine." Alucard and Kirito started to run after Leafa.

"Who put the tracker on us?"

Leafa gritted her teeth. "That bat was a fire-elemental familiar. That means that we're being tracked by…"

"The Salamanders." Kirito finished for her.

After running for a while, the trio happened upon an underground town surrounded by a lake.

"Whoa, check out the lake." Kirito was mesmerized by the sight as they slowly made their way across the bridge leading to the town. "Looks like we're gonna get away."

Leafa smirked. "Watch where you're running, otherwise you'll fall in."

Suddenly, two orange beams shot passed the trio and impacted the ground in front of the gate. A huge stone wall promptly appeared.

"Crap." Leafa stopped in her tracks.

Without really thinking, Alucard and Kirito unsheathed their blades and attempted to smash the wall. The result was neither of them making so much as a dent in it.

"Damnit." Kirito landed on his back while Alucard landed gracefully on his feet.

Showoff. The young gamer slowly got to his feet.

"That won't work." Leafa stopped beside the two.

"Why didn't you warn us?" Kirito spoke with disdain.

The blonde crossed her arms. "Oh right, like it's my fault you two are impatient." She inspected the wall. "It's an earth-magic barrier. Physical attacks won't even scratch it."

Kirito looked at the lake. "Can we jump into the lake and swim around?"

Alucard did a double take upon hearing this.  
_Without my coffin, I can't travel in water._ He shook his head. "That's a bad idea."

Kirito was about to question him when Leafa nodded her head in agreement.

"Alucard's right. There are extremely high-level monsters in the water. If we had an Undine with us, then we may stand a chance."

Kirito picked up his sword. "I guess our only option is to fight."

Leafa closed her eyes. "I hate to say it, but that is our only option. It might be risky, though." She turned to face the opposite side of the bridge. "The fact that they have access to high-level earth-magic can only mean they have a powerful mage on their side."

"That can't be helped." Alucard glared at the approaching Salamanders. "We'll just have to cut him down first."

The Black Swordsman nodded. "Leafa."

The blonde Sylph glanced at Kirito.

"I know you're good with a sword, so don't take this the wrong way." He paused. "But can you back me and Alucard up from here on in? I need you stay behind to focus on healing the two of us. That way we don't need to worry about our HP.

Leafa nodded. "Just be careful you two."

As soon as the Salamanders were fully visible, the duo dashed at them with all their might. They were stopped by three shield users before they could make it to the main group. The clashing of steel echoed throughout the cave as sword clashed with shield.

The Salamanders flew back several feet, due to the combined force of the attack.

"Whoa." Was all Leafa could say after witnessing the ferocity of the attack.

The Mages in the back were stunned for a second. "Hold your ground!" The leader of the group hollered. "Fire everything you've got at them!"

The group began to mutter several incantations as the two swordsmen slowly overwhelmed the shield users.

"Oh no." Leafa realized what was happening. "They're firing everything they got them!"

As soon as the Salamanders finished their incantations, several balls of fire began to quickly fly towards Alucard and Kirito.

"Shoot." Kirito was prepared for a world of hurt when Alucard suddenly stepped in front of him. The vampire planted his feet firmly on the ground and formed a cross with his arms.

"What the hell are you doing!?" the Black Swordsman shouted in protest.

Before Alucard could even form an answer, the fireballs made a direct impact on the crimson warrior.

"Alucard!" Kirito cried out.

"That's not good." Leafa stared at where the Alucard once stood. "There's no way he could've survived a blast like that."

Kirito clenched his eyes shut as he gritted his teeth in rage. "I promised myself that I would never let anyone in my party die." His grip on his sword tightened.

"What do you mean?"

Kirito's eyes shot open as he watched the dust slowly clear to reveal, a very much alive, Alucard. His fedora and sunglasses were apparently obliterated by the impact, and his coat was in shambles, but overall he was alright.

"Did you really expect me to fall over and die to such an attack?" His crimson eyes were focused on the Salamanders, who looked like all the color drained from their faces. "Have a little faith in me."

Leafa stared at Alucard in awe. "His health bar didn't even drop below the three fourths range." She was speechless.  
_How did he do that?_

"So are we going to finish this fight or not?" He smirked as he slowly approached his terrified prey. "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to fight?"

Taking advantage of their moment of cowardice, Kirito charged at the leader of the group and cut him down. "You should really should pay attention to your surroundings." Kirito proceeded to annihilate the rest of the mages.

The rest of the group began to run away in fear.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alucard suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Monster!" One of them shouted.

Alucard's grin widened in amusement. "Oh really." He approached the remaining Salamanders. "What would that make you who would stand against me? A man? A dog?" His crimson eyes seemed to begin to glow. "A monster?"

Before any of them could react, Alucard began to cut them down one by one. Soon only one of them remained. "How disappointing…" He grabbed him by the collar of his armor, and hung him over the edge of the bridge. "I really hoped that you fools would've provided me with some menial entertainment. It seems you idiots couldn't even do that…"

Kirito and Leafa ran to his side.

"What're you doing?" Kirito asked.

"Getting answers." The vampire began to viciously shake his prisoner. "Who ordered you to attack us?"

"How did you even know that we were ordered to attack you?!" He replied.

The No-Life King smirked. "You just told me, idiot."

The Salamander glared at Alucard. "You aren't going to get anything out of me! You'll have to kill me!" he said defiantly.

Alucard laughed. "That can be easily arranged..." He loosened his grip slightly.

"You're mad!"

Leafa nodded. "I think he already knows that, stupid."

Kirito chuckled. "Unless you want a watery grave, I advise you tell us who sent you."

The man hesitated for a moment. "Okay. Earlier this evening I got a message from G-Takusu. He was the leader of the mage squad." He took a breath. "He said to gather over here because we got orders from the commander to hunt down and kill a trio of players. At first we thought it was odd, but then he said the orders came from someone above the Commander. The orders came from…" He paused.

Alucard loosened his grip on the man, to the point he was dangling by a few fingers. "I'm beginning to get tired so you better finish now!"

"Okay okay." The man sighed. "Apparently the orders came from the Fairy King, Oberon."

Leafa and Kirito flinched.

The No-Life King stopped smiling. "Thank you for your cooperation. Your services are no longer required." Alucard then threw the Salamander into the lake.  
_Dog…_

"Why would Oberon be after us?" Leafa asked as they began to walk towards the town.

Kirito closed his eyes.

He knows I'm in the game so he probably wants to get rid of me before I get to him. "I have no idea." Kirito lied. "What do you think Alucard?"

Alucard smirked.

There's no need to tell them anything. "He perceives us as a threat, obviously." He gave them the half-truth.

Leafa and Kirito yawned.

"I'm beat." The blonde Sylph rubbed her eyes. "How about we stop at an inn for some rest?"

Kirito nodded. "That's probably a good idea. What do you think Yui?"

The tiny pixie poked her head out of his breast pocket. "I'm tired too." She yawned.

Alucard could careless about what they did next. "You can rest. I don't feel tired."

The two fairies shrugged as they walked through the gate.

"Hey Alucard..." Kirito stopped before entering to face Alucard. "Thanks for taking that hit for me. You're a life saver." He smiled as he ran after Leafa.

The No-Life King stood there processing what he was just told. "A life saver?" He formed a half smile. "That's a first..." Alucard grimaced upon realizing that he was genuinely smiling.  
_No. You are a monster and a tool to be used by the Hellsing family. You are nothing more than that..._

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Legrue,  
January 21, 2025 (10:01 A.M.)**

"Wow." Leafa was captivated by the city. "So this is Legrue. It's so beautiful."

The Black Swordsman sat on a bench resting. "Hey I just remembered something." Kirito closed his eyes. "Didn't you get a message from your friend before those Salamanders attacked us?"

The blonde Sylph's eyes widened. "Oops, I totally forgot about that." She opened her menu to reply. "Oh, Recon is not online. He's probably asleep."

Kirito beckoned her to sit down. "Why don't you call him IRL?"

Leafa sat down and nodded. "Okay, I'll log out for a second to check up on him." She turned to Yui, who was sitting on Kirito's shoulder. "Take care of my body, Yui."

Yui pointed at herself. "Me?"

"Watch your dad so he doesn't do anything weird to my body."

Yui saluted. "Copy that, ma'am."

"Seriously?" Kirito sighed.

Leafa then proceeded to log out.

Suguha/Leafa woke up in the real world in the exact same position she had logged in earlier that evening.  
_I hope Kirito will wait up for me._ She thought as she rubbed her eyes.

She looked over to her desk see her phone alerting her she had a missed call.

Suguha grabbed her phone to see who called her. She gasped when she saw that she had nearly 100 missed calls from Nagata/Recon. Her finger slid over to the call back button only for her phone to go off again.

"What's so important that he'd call me so much?" Suguha answered the phone.

"Hey Nagata. What's with all the calls? What do you want?"

"You picked up! Finally!" Nagata's voice echoed through the speaker. "Where were you Suguha?"

"I was dealing with some in game stuff."

"We got trouble! I mean big trouble!" Nagata was on the verge of panicking. "Sigurd has turned against us! Not only that, but he's planning on backstabbing Sakuya, the Sylph commander!"

"What?" Suguha became tense. "Why would he do this? Start from the beginning."

Nagata cleared his throat. "Okay here's the deal." He began. "Remember when the Salamanders attacked us in the ancient forest? Didn't you sense something odd, Suguha?"

"Odd? What do you mean?" She replied.

"Sigurd said he'd act as a decoy and drew three of them away."

"Now that you mention it…"

"It isn't like him to just do something like that. I mean, normally he would make someone else act as decoy.

Suguha was starting to get the big picture. "Yeah that did seem odd."

"What I'm saying is…" Nagata continued. "He's been collaborating with the Salamanders. Probably for a while!"

"What?! Do you have proof?"

"I told you something was bugging me, so I've been following Sigurd around since this morning, using an invisibility spell. I saw him and a bunch of other guys putting on invisibility cloaks in a back alley, so I tailed them to see what was up." The young boy took a breather. "I followed them into the sewers where two weird guys were waiting for them. I couldn't believe it, they were Salamanders! I couldn't get all the details but apparently the Salamander commander got orders from someone to terminate your party. It was…"

"…King Oberon." Suguha finished for him.

Nagata stopped for a moment. "Yeah, that's my hunch as well. I mean, who else has authority over the supreme commanders of the 9 races."

"Keep going."

"I was found out eventually. I was paralyzed by a poison arrow and captured."

"That's why you called me IRL…"

"That's not all!" Nagata became even more distressed. "Sakuya's supposed to form an alliance with Cait Siths today, so she's secretly heading north to neutral territory to sign the treaty. Apparently the Salamanders were given orders to prevent the treaty from being signed. Sigurd is currently leading a large army to crash the ceremony!"

Suguha glared "Why would someone give such an order?"

"Well from what I heard, it's because of those guys you're taking to the world tree." Nagata responded. "Apparently, it's to prevent someone from storming the world tree, namely the two guys you're traveling with."

The young girl thought for a moment.  
_Why is it so important that Kirito and Alucard be terminated?_ She suddenly realized what she had to do "I have to go!"

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Legrue  
****January 21, 2025 (10:15 A.M.)**

Meanwhile in game, Kirito was snacking on some food he bought from Swilvane. He was surprised when Leafa woke up suddenly.

"I have to go!" She stood up abruptly.

Kirito scratched the back of his head. "Welcome back, Leafa."

Yui flew beside the blonde. "Welcome back!"

Leafa hung her head down. "Kirito, I'm sorry. I have to leave."

"Why?"

The blonde Sylph sighed. "There's something I have to take care of right away, and it seems there's no time to explain." She turned to look at Kirito. "You and Alucard should leave without me, because I won't be coming back here."

Kirito stood up. "I guess you'll just have to explain on the way." He began to walk to toward the town gate. "It'll take awhile to get out of here since we can't fly, but thankfully, Alucard is hanging out near the gate so we won't need to go looking for him."

Leafa stared at him for a moment "All right."

The duo began running towards the entry gate

Alucard leaned up against the gate, eager to get going. He managed to recreate his hat and glasses.  
_I need to find a way to keep them from flying off or being destroyed._

His thoughts were mostly on the fact that he cracked his first genuine smile in over 500 years.

"Those two are beginning to rub off on me." Alucard grimaced at the thought. "I'm a monster and nothing more. I gave up my humanity all those years ago in fear of dying. What I would give to be human again." The No-Life King sighed. "I will never be human again. I am a monster without emotion or mercy. I am a demon from hell, cursed to wander the Earth until its destruction..."

"Alucard!"

The vampire turned around to see Leafa and Kirito running towards him.

"We have to get going!" The duo stopped in front of him.

"Why are we going back?" Alucard asked.

Suguha had an expression of pure distress. "In 40 minutes, past Butterfly Field, the Sylph and Cait Sith leaders will start a conference. During the meeting an army of Salamanders, led by Sigurd, are going to attack and murder the leaders at the meeting"

Alucard scoffed. "What does that have anything to do with getting to the World Tree?"

Kirito glared at the tall vampire. "That's not the point!" He yelled. "There are people in trouble! We have to help!"

"Then you deal with it." Alucard said coldly. "There's no need for me to get involved."

Kirito and Leafa watched as he began walking in the opposite direction.

"Please, we need your help!" Leafa begged. "If they interfere with the meeting, the alliance won't be formed. The Cait Sith wouldn't tolerate their leader being killed because a Sylph betrayed them. War would break out because of it. Plus, if the Salamanders take out both of the leaders, they'll get 30 percent of the territories money and free reign for ten days."

Alucard still seemed uninterested.

Kirito ran up next to Alucard and scowled at him. "Are you really going to run like a coward?!"

The tall vampire shared a glance with the young boy. "It's none of my concern. If you humans wish to squabble among yourselves, then so be it."

Kirito's eyes widened. "Aren't you human too!?"

Alucard froze for a moment. "I WAS human." He looked at the ceiling of the cave. "I gave up that humanity long ago. I don't know why, but I don't care. I am nothing but a monster. I am a monster yearning to be defeated by a human, preying that one day my end will come." His face contorted into a scowl. "I don't have the time, nor patience, to deal with the shit that you humans love to pull."

The Black Swordsman angrily watched as Alucard began to take his leave. "If Sigurd's a cowardly dog, what does make you!?"

Alucard didn't falter. "I could care less about what you think of me. If you see me as a monster, than so be it. If I'm a coward, then I'll be a coward. As long as I don't have to deal with you toddlers any longer."

"How could you be so heartless?" Kirito scowled at his one time party member. "Don't peoples lives mean anything to you?! Whatever happened to being the person that was willing to face the monsters?! Did those words mean nothing to you?!"

The tall vampire sighed. "There may have been a time when I would've cared..." His thoughts drifted to the memories of a boy who had lost his innocence far too early. Alucard's expression softened. "That was a long time ago. As for being the man that defeats the monsters, I can't be the one to fill those shoes. A monster defeating another monster is impossible. It must be a human that defeats them."

Kirito noted the somberness in Alucard's eyes. "What happened?"

Alucard suddenly grabbed Kirito by his neck. "I don't need your sympathy!" He tightened his grip on the young man's neck. "What happened to me is my business and my business alone!"

Yui flew out of Kirito's breast pocket and began to attempt to impede Alucard's chocking of her adoptive father. "Please let go of my daddy!"

Leafa unsheathed her sword and pointed it at the Nosferatu. "Let go of him, or so help me I'll..."

Alucard sent Leafa a threatening glare. "What?" He grinned like a complete madman. "Cut me down? Take my head off? Throw me off the bridge? What will it be?"

The look in his eyes were not those of a human, but of a monster. "What are you..?" The blonde Sylph took several cautionary steps back.

"Are you cowering in fear?! Did you just attempt to throw empty threats at me?!" The vampire laughed maniacally.

Kirito was beginning to feel lightheaded. _If I don't do something quick he'll kill us all!_ The Black Swordsman gathered the last of his strength and kicked Alucard in the gut.

The No-Life King flinched, not suspecting such a powerful knee from the teenager, causing him to drop Kirito.

Yui landed on top of Kirito's shoulder. "Are you okay daddy?"

Kirito nodded. "I'm fine." He slowly looked up to see Alucard looming over him.

Yui nodded as she flew back into Kirito's breast pocket.

"Why?" The vampire asked.

"Why what?" He responded.

Alucard looked down at the young man. "Why save those you don't know? What's the point? It doesn't matter, does it? This is nothing but a game."

Kirito looked at the ground sadly. "It's just a game, I know that already." He locked eyes with Alucard. "If you kill someone than so what. They'll just respawn, right? It doesn't matter who dies, because in the end there's no hard no feelings." He remembered all the people who died within** Sword Art Online**. "Still, it doesn't change the fact that it's wrong! Even if this is a virtual world, the people you meet are real! If you kill them here, who's to say it might not kill them in IRL? It's just like you said Alucard. There will always be people who play the villains, but not many people have the courage to play the hero. Someone has to do it though, right?"

Alucard stared in fascination of young gamer. He saw a potential in the boy. That same spark of heroism that his past nemesis' had.

"I'll be the man to face the monster's! I don't care if they're 10, or even a 100, times stronger than me! I'll protect the people I care about!" Kirito declared to Alucard's face.

Leafa stared at Kirito in admiration.  
_Wow..._

Alucard stood there motionless. He closed his eyes for a moment. _If that is what you wish to do, then I shall let you walk the path of a hero, Kirito. _When he opened them again, his smirk returned to it's normal position. "Go..."

"What?" Kirito was surprised by Alucard's sudden calmness.

"You're running out of time." He began to make his way back into the village. "So go ahead and play hero, just like you said you would. Prove me wrong, human."

Kirito nodded. "Whatever you say." He grabbed Leafa by the wrist.

"What are you doing?" Before Leafa could react, Kirito sprinted for the cave exit while towing the blonde Sylph.

The No-Life King stopped to watch the duo leave without him. _We shall see how far this path takes you, Kirito__._ Alucard stared at the cave exit.

* * *

**_A much easier rewrite than I initially thought. Nothing really changed, just the minor details. _**

**_Dialogue for Alucard was changed, as I feel that I didn't do my best when it came to writing his lines. I gave him a more somber feel to him, but he's still that same bad ass that would kick the ever living hell out of the Twilight vampires._**

**_That's all that can be said for now..._**

**_Have a comment, or just want to praise the story? Leave a review! Like the story? Follow and Favorite it!_**

_**See you next Chapter!**_


	4. The Salamander Legion

_**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**_

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

_**BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR**_

_**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**_

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Salamander Legion

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Legrue  
****January 21, 2025 (10:20 A.M.)  
****40 minutes until the coup d'etat...**

"Jack Seward, Quicey Morris, Arthur Holmwood, Abraham Van Hellsing, and Alexander Anderson." Alucard sat on a bench thinking of all the men who valiantly opposed him. They all had one thing in common. "No matter how bad the odds were stacked against them, they never gave up. They all played the part that everyone else was to afraid to take up…" Images of all of his near death experiences flashed before his eyes. "…The man who opposes the monsters."

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Butterfly Valley****  
****January 21, 2025 (10:37 A.M.)  
23 minutes until the coup d'etat...**

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Leafa scolded Kirito for the stunt he just pulled.

In an attempt to save time, Kirito grabbed Leafa and proceeded to charge, at full speed, through a hoard of monsters. Thankfully, they managed to escape unscathed.

"No..." Kirito chuckled. "...I was just trying to save us some time."

Leafa sighed. "You and your shortcuts."

Before she could berate Kirito any further, the duo became mesmerized by the sight of the World Tree.

"All that stuff you said to Alucard. You meant it, didn't you?" Leafa glanced at Kirito. She was really amazed by his determination to help others, no matter how bad the odds.

"Of course I meant it Leafa." He smiled at the blonde. "It's not in my nature to watch other people suffer. It's just wrong to do that, you know." Kirito closed his eyes, remembering his time in SAO. "When I said that I'd be the man that plays the hero, I meant it. Doesn't matter if it's real life, or virtual, I'll do whatever I can to protect everyone."

Leafa flew right next to Kirito. "But why play a role in which there's a possibility you would die? Alucard said it himself, you don't know these people, why bother?"

Kirito scanned the surrounding land. "Some things are worth dying for. Whether or not I've built up enough courage to actually do so, is another question."

The blonde Sylph giggled. "Whatever you say, Mr. Hero."

The Black Swordsman blushed slightly. "Where's this meeting supposed to take place again?"

The blonde surveyed her surroundings, and then pointed at a mountain the northwest. "It's supposed to take place on top of that mountain."

"How much time do we have until it starts?"

"23 minutes."

Kirito clicked his teeth. "We're not going fast enough!"

They proceeded to start flying at their top speed.

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ On top of the World Tree  
****January 21, 2025 ****(10:42 A.M.)****  
****18 minutes until the coup d'etat...**

Sugou stared at his unenthused prisoner in admiration.

"My dear Titania. You truly are a magnificent sight to behold."

Asuna glared at Sugou in disgust. "And you're the most disgusting person I have ever seen in my life." She responded.

The Fairy King laughed at her retort. "Then I am truly blessed to have such a stunning bride. After all, that hero boyfriend of yours is going to to be be eliminated, soon enough..." He stood over her, caressing her navel area.

Asuna shivered as his hand slowly snaked its way up to her chest. Thankfully, a small ping interrupted her assaulter, just as he was about to reach her chest.

"What is it?" Sugou spoke into his wrist. After a few seconds, Sugou smiled fiendishly. "You are to proceed in 15 minutes."

The captured queen couldn't help but wonder what was making Sugou so giddy.

"My dear Titania..." He sat in a chair directly across from Asuna. "It's time to show you how much authority I have over this land." He opened a small keyboard and began to type up several GM codes. When he was done, a large screen appeared showcasing a massive army.

Asuna's eyes widened as she stared at he screen in horror. "What is that?" Her voice barely above a whisper.

Sugou stood up and began to cackle madly. "What you see before you is my army of approximately 500 players, all ready to do my bidding." He grabbed Asuna by the cheeks and forced her to stare at the army. "I realized that if that fool, Akihiko Kayaba, was able to imprison people within his game, why couldn't I do the same?"

The young teenager was mortified upon hearing this. "What are you planning on doing?"

Sugou stopped his laughing in order to respond. "After the SAO incident, the company that maintained the servers for Sword Art went bankrupt due to the catastrophe." Sugou calmed himself down. "The servers were passed to your father's company, who then, in turn, passed them to me." His eyes were firmly planted on the screen. "I became head of **RECT Progress' Full-Dive Division**, and the creator of the Amusphere, the successor to the NerveGear."

Asuna didn't like where this was going. She watched as the mad king paced around her cage.

"It was created as a safer version of the NerveGear, which was lethal due to its powerful electromagnet." Sugou stopped and smiled wickedly. "As the creator of the Amusphere I have the ability to disable all of safety mechanisms that keep the Amusphere from frying a persons brain, with the press of a button." The madman turned his full attention to Asuna. "With that ability, and my ability to disable logging out, I have the power to turn Alfheim into my own version of Sword Art, where I will rule with an iron fist!"

Asuna couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
_Anything but that!_ She was on the verge of panic.

"Kayaba was a complete fool. He just wanted to create a world where he could live in his dream kingdom. Me, I have much greater dreams. Dreams of godhood." Sugou approached his helpless prisoner. "Can you guess who the first person I'm going to kill once I become a god?" He began to caress her cheeks. "That stupid hero boyfriend of yours."

The young teenager couldn't take anymore. "No..." She murmured. " Please not him..." She begged.

The Fairy King ceased his assault on her. "Don't worry. I'm a kind god, Titania. I'll give you a chance to see Kirito again..." A maddening grin was plastered on his face. "...as a mangled corpse, of course."

Asuna burst into tears at the sheer thought of seeing her beloved Kirito, devoid of all life. The thought actively haunted her.

Sugou cackled madly, as he watched his prisoner sob uncontrollably.

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Butterfly Valley  
****January 21, 2025 ****(10:55 A.M.)****  
****5 minutes until the coup d'etat...**

"I wish we could go faster, because at this rate we're not going to make it before the Salamanders." Kirito and Leafa were still a good distance away from where the meeting was taking place.

"I know," Leafa sighed. "Even if we can warn them, it doesn't mean we can get the commanders out in time." Things were looking grim for the duo. "We just may end up dying with them in battle."

Kirito's breast pocket suddenly began to jerk.

Yui's head popped out of it a second later.

Kirito didn't like the look on his virtual daughter's face. She looked absolutely mortified. "What's wrong Yui?"

The tiny pixie shook uncontrollably. "I'm… I'm picking up lots of… of players." She stuttered.

Leafa stared at the Pixie. "How many?"

Yui was silent for a few seconds until what looked like a huge swarm came into view. "That swarm ahead of us consists of just about 500 players."

The two fairies stared at the swarm in shock.

"500!?" Kirito's jaw dropped. Never in his entire life had ever expected to see such a massive army. Not even the Raid Parties, that were formed to combat bosses, in SAO got that big.

"It's like they sent the entirety of the Salamander army, in order to stop this meeting from commencing." Leafa commented.

Kirito's eyes widened. "We have to hurry!" His speed suddenly increased substantially.

Leafa watched, as he became a speeding black blur. "Even if we make it in time, there's no chance we'll survive this!"

Kirito's eyes were set on the plateau that the meeting was going to be held. "Then I'm going to die trying." He said fiercely. "Even if I'm outnumbered one to one thousand, I wouldn't run away!"

The blonde Sylph couldn't help but feel the same determination that Kirito was displaying.  
_If he isn't giving up, then neither will I! _She smirked. "Then we'll do it together!"

The duo nodded at each other as they made their way into Hell.

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ ****Lugru Passage  
****January 21, 2025 ****(10:59 A.M.)****  
1 minute until the coup d'etat...****  
**

Meanwhile, Alucard finally decided to take action. He was unsure what, but there was something he found interesting about Kirito. He didn't know what it was, but there was something different about Kirito. He had something that none of his past nemesis had, and he didn't know what it was.  
_I don't think I've ever taken this much interest in a human. Not even Integra and Seras have garnered this much attention from me. The question is, why am I so interested in the boy?_

There was really only one way to find out. He decided that he was going to stick around Kirito, just long enough to figure out what it was. It wasn't really part of his mission, but he was going to get to the World Tree eventually, so he felt fine about abandoning it for the moment.

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Butterfly Valley  
****January 21, 2025 ****(11:00 A.M.)**

The leaders of the Sylphs, and Cait Siths, stared in terror at the massive army looming above them.

"What is the meaning of this, Salamanders!?" Sakuya, the Sylph leader, drew her sword.

Alicia Rue, the Cait Sith leader, cowered behind Sakuya.

"Isn't it obvious?"

All eyes darted to a single figure, clad in the signature Sylph armor.

"This is a coup d'etat." Sigurd smirked mischievously.

Sakuya glared at her second-in-command. "So you're initiating a coup, Sigurd." She said bitterly. "I should have known that this was inevitable. You've been ever so sour the past month."

Sigurd unsheathed his blade. "Don't take this personally, I'm only following orders."

"From who?" The Sylph leader asked. "The Salamander leader?"

The double agent shook his head. "No, I take orders from a far more intimidating figure..."

Another fairy flew beside Sigurd. He was clothed in the signature Salamander armor, only without the helmet. His hair was auburn, which really highlighted his stern face,

"General Eugene of the Salamander Army." Alicia gasped. The tiny Cait Sith leader heard horror stories about how fearsome the General was. "Is he the one who you take orders from?"

"Far from it!"

A black blur came crashing into the ground with incredible force, causing dust to cloud the area.

Sylphs, Cait Sith, and Salamanders alike stared at the spot where the fairy made his impact. As the dust cleared, they were surprised to see a lone Spriggan.

Kirito stood in-between the makings of a war between the Sylphs, Cait Siths, and Salamanders. "These guys aren't taking their orders from the Salamander leader!"

"Who're they taking orders from then?" Sakuya asked.

"The Fairy King, Oberon!" Kirito answered simply.

Alicia smirked. "That is the biggest lie I've ever heard. Why would Oberon want to stop us from forming an alliance?"

"It's true!" Leafa flew right next to Sakuya. "What Kirito, that Spriggan, is saying is completely true."

"Leafa..." Sakuya was surprised to see the blonde Sylph here of all places. "You're telling me that the Salamanders are really being ordered by King Oberon?"

Leafa nodded. "It's, unfortunately, true."

Sakuya and Alicia were skeptical. "Why would he do such a thing? Isn't the point of the game to clear the World Tree?" The tiny Cait Sith leader asked.

Leafa shook her head. "From what I learned from Recon, who was caught spying on a meeting between Sigurd and the Salamanders, King Oberon doesn't want anyone to take the World Tree."

The Cait Sith and Sylphs glared at the army of Salamanders.

Sakuya drew her sword. "Then, if that's the case, to battle!" All other Sylphs followed Sakuya's example and drew their weapons.

Alicia smirked. "Cait Siths!" The Cait sith drew their weapons. "We're not going to be outdone by the Sylphs!"

Sigurd was amused by the group's tenacity. He was specifically amused by the Spriggan in the front.  
_That's the same Spriggan that foolishly opposed me earlier today._Sigurd mused. "You." He pointed at Kirito. "What's your name Spriggan?"

Kirito glared at the treacherous Sylph. "Kirito."

The entirety of the Salamander forces seemed to flinch.

General Eugene stared at the boy. "So you're the Spriggan that King Oberon wants us to eliminate." He seemed to be incredibly confident. "There should be another that goes by the name of Alucard."

"He's not here at the moment." The Black Swordsman responded. "You should worry more about yourself!"

General Eugene and Sigurd exchanged nods. "Frontal assault team, charge on our orders."

The Sylphs and Cait Sith surrounded their leaders.

"Defend Sakuya and Alicia at all cost!" Leafa ordered.

Sigurd raised his hand. "Attack!"

An entire legion of Salamanders charged head first at the 16 players.

"Here they come!" Kirito met the army head on, cutting through them without really breaking a sweat.

Sakuya and Alicia stared at the Spriggan in amazement.

"I've never seen such an energetic player before..." Sakuya muttered.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Alicia asked.

Leafa shook her head. "Leave them to him. If he needs help, I'll go and help him." She gripped her sword tightly. "No matter what, we can't let either of you fall."

"It seems we underestimated them." Eugene frowned as he watched the last of his men fall at the hands of the Black Swordsman. "I can see why Oberon sees the Spriggan as a threat. He's pretty tough."

Sigurd scoffed. "The pawns go first for a reason, Eugene. That's why we designated the less skilled players as cannon fodder." The double crossing Sylph drew his blade. "Now that we know that he's an above average player, we can send in some more powerful troops." Sigurd gave the signal for more troops to charge at the Alliance troops.

Kirito was starting to get tired. He had managed to stop the first wave from reaching the Alliance leaders, only for another wave to charge right past him.  
_Damnit!_

Thankfully, Leafa intercepted the wave and managed to take out half of them out. The rest were taken out by Sakuya and Alicia's bodyguards.

"It seems we might need to step in..." General Eugene unsheathed his sword. "You deal with the Sylph. The Spriggan is my mine."

Kirito watched as another wave of troops charged at him. He was prepared to defend the Leaders when he was suddenly blindsided by General Eugene. "That was a bit dirty of you."

The Salamander General gripped his blade with two hands. "When facing multiple opponents, you should always be aware of your surroundings."

The Black Swordsman smirked. "Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure to put it to good use after I finish you."

Leafa was about to aid Kirito when Sigurd stepped in.

"I've been dying to get my revenge on that cocky friend of yours, but I guess you'll have to do, Leafa!" Sigurd charged at his former teammate.

Leafa barely managed to deflect his attacks. As much as she tried, however she just couldn't find an opening.

"You can't deflect my attacks forever Leafa! You'll give in eventually, and when that happens…" He managed get cut a gash on Leafa's leg. "…You're finished!"

Somehow the blonde Sylph managed to escape Sigurd's assault.

Meanwhile, Kirito was barely holding his own against Eugene. Every time he attempted to deflect his attacks, Kirito still got hit. It was as if he was facing a phantom.  
_What the hell is going on?_

Eugene stopped his assault. "**The Demonic Sword: Gram**." He rubbed his fingers along the length of the blade. "It has the ability to phase through swords and shields in order to hit it's mark. This weapon is the ultimate blade in the entire game." He said smugly.

Kirito scowled at his opponent. "Why are you even bothering with telling me this?"

The Salamander General began to walk toward Kirito. "Because I know you won't be able to beat me."

Sakuya and Alicia's forces weren't doing much better. Sure, they had higher skill levels, when compared to the Salamanders, but when up against an entire army, they were sure to fall eventually.

"Keep fighting!" Sakuya cut through two more Salamanders. She could tell that her forces weren't going to hold up much longer. The Cait Sith forces didn't seem to be doing much better.  
_At this rate we're going to fall._

Leafa clashed swords with her former party leader once more. "Why betray us like this, Sigurd? I thought you hated the Salamanders!" She stared eye to eye with the former Sylph second-in-command.

"How can I hate the Salamanders when they so graciously offered me a position within their ranks?" Sigurd retorted. "Why not join me Leafa? We could make a great team."

Leafa scowled at Sigurd's request. "I'll never join someone like you!"

Kirito was struggling to keep his cool. The entire fight was quickly becoming one-sided, in favor of the Salamanders. He knew what was at stake if he lost the fight.  
_Leafa, the Sylphs, the Cait Sith…_An image of his main goal projected itself within his mind. The only reason he came to the world of Alfheim, and the one person that kept him from giving up. _Asuna._

Kirito gripped his sword with both of his arms. "I won't lose here!" He swung his sword with all his might. "There's too much at stake for me to lose!"

General Eugene was surprised by Kirito's sudden increase in strength. He barely managed to block his attack.

When the two swords clashed, a huge clang echoed across the valley, gaining the attention of all the onlookers. Sparks flew as the combatants tried to overpower the each other.

Kirito was soon overpowered, causing his blade to fly out of his hands. The world seemed to slow down around him as he readily accepted his fate.  
_I guess I wasn't strong enough to save you, Asuna._ Kirito closed his eyes and smiled sadly as he prepared for his oncoming demise.

"So this is what the worlds come to." A familiar voice rang across the battlefield.

Kirito and Leafa's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Salamanders must really be pathetic. How is it that an entire army of 500 are having trouble dealing with a squad of 16?"

Everyone's eyes darted toward the source of the voice.

Alucard stood on top of an outcrop hanging above them. He jumped off, landing in the center of the battlefield. "What a pathetic excuse for an army. They're so incompetent, they didn't notice when I slipped by them."

Kirito smirked. "So you changed your mind."

"Not from the kindness of my heart." The tall vampire responded. "I've merely decided to observe you. It seems there's something about you I find myself curious about."

"Whatever you say."

Sigurd stared at Alucard in anger. "So the meddling coward shows himself."

The No-Life King grinned upon hearing Sigurd. "Would you look at that, the piece of shit returns. It is not I that betrayed my race, fool. You truly are a persistent one." The Nosferatu drew his sword. "I guess I have no choice but to keep killing you until you learn your lesson. It seems I was wrong to call you shit." He removed his sunglasses, as to make his crimson eyes visible.

This highly unsettled all of the onlookers.

"You're not even worth being called shit! You're a maggot! A disgusting insect, destined to a pathetic existence from beginning to end!" A breeze caused Alucard's hat to fly off, revealing his long black hair. "Killing you is a mercy! I'll make sure you squeal before I subject you to a horror beyond hell!"

Sigurd was now highly unsettled. Not only did Alucard show nothing but disgust towards him, but he was a highly unsettling sight to behold.  
_He's out for blood! _The former Sylph second-in-command was on the verge of panic. His eyes turned toward the Salamander army. "What are you doing? Kill him!"

The next wave of Salamanders focused solely on the crimson eyed menace.

"What is he doing?!" Alicia yelled as she watched as Alucard put up no resistance against the oncoming wave.

The attacking Salamanders were surprised when a thick red liquid gushed out of a cut inflicted on Alucard. Many of the Sylphs and Cait Siths widened their eyes.

"It's actual blood!" one of them shouted.

Kirito stared at Alucard. "How can he actually be bleeding?"

Leafa felt like vomiting.  
_What the hell is going on?_

Sigurd glared at Alucard. "I don't care what it is! Cut him down!"

The Salamanders hesitated for a second.

"Cowards!" Alucard's toothy grin widened in delight. "Finis the job! Cut me into nothing but bloody bits! Show me what you've got!"

The attack force proceeded to bisect Alucard. Blood spilled all over the ground as they dismembered more and more of the Nosferatu.

By the time they were finished, all that was left of the once mighty Alucard was dismembered pieces of his body, and a puddle of crimson liquid.

"Where's his Remain Light?" Leafa's eyes were wide from shock.

Kirito felt his heart pounding.  
_He was actually bleeding... _He shuddered. _That means he might actually be dead..._

General Eugene looked at Sigurd in disgust. "Why didn't you call off your attack?" He asked.

Sigurd rolled his eyes. "What does it matter? If he really was the Alucard that Oberon ordered us to kill, we're one step closer to being turned into Alfs."

The Salamander General scowled. "He was actually bleeding! What if he's actually dead?!"

"So what? Not our problem." Sigurd raised his hand. "Continue the attack." Half the Salamanders in the sky followed the order and began to descend toward the ground.

"Stand down!" Many of the Salamanders stopped in their tracks. "If that man is actually dead, then we've gone to far! Becoming an Alf isn't worth actually killing people."

Sigurd didn't seem to care. "Men!"

A good ¾ of the Salamanders lined up behind Sigurd.

"Finish them off!"

Kirito was prepared to avenge Alucard when, much to his surprise, a group of Salamanders intercepted the attackers.

"I'm ordering you to call off your attack." General Eugene stood off to the side. "I am your General so you will follow my orders!"

Despite his orders, however the opposing Salamanders continued their assault.

Suddenly, a dark laughter filled the air. Many were scrambling to find the source of the laughter. Much to everyone's mutual surprise, Alucard's blood began to shift.

"What the hell…" Leafa murmured.

"What's going on?" Kirito stared at the blood, which seemed to be gathering into one spot.

The blood flew into the air, quickly transforming into a swarm of bats.

"It seems I heavily underestimated you." The bats started to mold together. "However, it'll take more than that to kill me." The bats continued to mold together until they formed the humanoid form of Alucard.

"What the hell are you?" Sigurd trembled in fear.

"I want to hear you bastards squeal!" His crimson eyes seemed to glow blood red as he bore his fangs.

Kirito was speechless. He couldn't believe his own eyes.  
_This can't be possible? Can it? _The Black Swordsman expected Alucard to unsheathe his sword, but much to his surprise, Alucard instead reached into his coat and pulled out a black gun and a silver gun.

"I'll send all of you straight to the afterlife!" He declared, taking aim.

For awhile, many of the opposing Salamanders thought that Alucard was bluffing. Guns couldn't exist in Alfheim, otherwise everyone would have one.

"Ignore the fool." Sigurd smirked. "He's just trying to scare you. Those guns are probably some weird illusion magic."

_BANG!_

Alucard fired off his first shot, instantly killing his first target.

Kirito's jaw dropped. "They really are guns!"

The vampire began to fire bullet after bullet, with each and every single bullet hitting their mark. The bullets fired off by the silver gun detonated upon impact, and the bullets fired from the black gun left gaping holes in the chest of it's unfortunate victims.

Nearly half of the Salamanders, that were led by Sigurd, were wiped out by Alucard's opening volley of bullets.

"Retreat!" One Salamander shouted.

Before any of them even registered the order, another volley of bullets were fired off by the Nosferatu. By the time the second barrage was finished only Sigurd remained.

"The silver cross of Manchester Cathedral was broken down to make these 13 millimeter explosive rounds." Alucard held up his silver hand gun. "**Hellsing ARMS** **.989** **Casull Auto**!" He emptied the clip for the gun as he held up the black handgun. "Firing 13.7 millimeter bullets, with blessed mercury tips. **Hellsing ARMS 13.7mm Auto Anti-Freak Combat Pistol: Jackal 2.0**!" He quickly emptied the Jackals clip. "Unless you wish for me to finish you off, I suggest you come down here and face the consequences of your actions." Alucard said calmly.

The former Sylph second-in-command tightened his grip on his sword. "Damn you!" He charged recklessly at the Nosferatu. "Damn you to Hell!"

Alucard stood there, letting Sigurd slash at him in vain. Every cut inflicted on him promptly regenerated. As amusing as it was, the Nosferatu was beginning to pity the Sylph. "You just don't get do you? You won't win this fight." He grabbed his attacker by the neck. "Only a human can defeat a monster, and you're just a maggot, Sigurd!"

"Please don't kill me!" he begged. "I'll tell you anything you want to know! I'll tell you all I know about Fairy King Oberon! Just please don't shoot me!"

The vampire smirked as he threw Sigurd into the group of Sylphs. "Before you punish him for his crimes, I need to hear whatever information he has on your king."

Sakuya nodded. "Very well. Besides I'm also curious as to why King Oberon would allow for such a heinous act to transpire. What do you think Alicia?"

"Let me at em! I wanna teach him a lesson!" The tiny Cait Sith leader was being restrained by her fellow Cait Sith.

"Well I guess that's how the Cait Sith deal with their problems." Leafa said sheepishly.

General Eugene told his men to fly back to the Salamander capitol to inform his brother, Mortimer the Salamander leader, on what transpired here. "I will also share what little information I have. It's the least I could do."

Meanwhile, Kirito knew that this was going to be his one chance to figure out if Asuna was really here or not. "I have a few questions as well."

Alucard nodded. "Looks like an interrogation is underway." He sat Sigurd up forcefully. "First things first, tell me what you know about the 300 players trapped within this game, and all you know about Fairy King Oberon."

* * *

**_Writer's Notes_**

**_Easiest rewrite so far. Just had to fix a few grammar mistakes. Nothing really special..._**

**_Have a comment, or just want to praise the story? Leave a review! Like the story? Follow and Favorite it!_**

_**See you next Chapter!**_


	5. Only a Human

_**Note: Alucard is in this story, this was inevitable.  
**_

_**This chapter features stronger language than the other chapters so far, and much more graphic violence. (I.E. Alucard getting obliterated, ect...)**_

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**_

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

_**BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR**_

_**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**_

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

Chapter 5: Only a Human

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory, Butterfly Valley  
****January 21, 2025 (11:32 A.M.)**

Alucard continued to stare at Sigurd with unwavering eyes. It was taking every ounce of strength within Alucard to not torture the information out of Sigurd.  
_He'd probably lose his sanity before I even ask the first question, if I put him through the torture I have in mind. Anything less would not suffice._

Sigurd knew that he was doomed. If he gave Alucard the information he wanted, he would be imprisoned by the Sylphs and then put to death by Oberon. If he refused, he would be doomed to whatever that monster, Alucard, had in store for him. His chances of survival were steadily growing thinner

"If you're thinking of keeping your mouth shut, which I highly recommend you don't, just know that whatever punishment Oberon gives you, I can deal out a punishment that will make him look like a paper tiger!" Alucard's eyes widened, giving him this mad look in his eyes.

Even though he was on their side, Leafa couldn't help but feel incredibly intimidated by the monster. _I don't think I've ever met a more intimidating person. _Leafa gulped.

"So what's it going to be? Either you help me, and come out somewhat unscathed, or you refuse the little hospitality I so graciously gave you, and as a result, end up losing your sanity in the process. If you want my opinion, I recommend the former. Although, the latter would be much more enjoyable for me." Alucard gave him a toothy grin.

The treacherous Sylph shook his head in fear of the vampires wrath. "Okay, I'll tell you what I know!" he took a deep breath.

"Around two months ago was when all of this started. I was tired of the Salamanders completely dominating us in just about everyway, so I decided to take it upon myself to change that. I traveled to Arun, the home of the World Tree, where I foolish attempted to raid the tree. Of course the attempt ended in failure."

"Get to the point!" Alucard said impatiently. "What does this have anything to do with anything?!"

"I was getting there..!" Sigurd responded quickly. "For some odd reason, I didn't respawn at the bottom of the World Tree, but at the top. You can imagine my surprise upon realizing where I was. The thing is, there wasn't a castle sitting at the top of the tree like we were led to believe, but a secret lab of sorts." He paused.

Many of those listening gasped upon hearing Sigurd.

"A lab? Why would there be a lab at the top?" Sakuya asked.

"Oberon never explained it to me. When I met him, he seemed to be hell bent on causing a war between all the races, for some reason. He said he would make me a moderator if I complied with him and sparked a war between the Sylphs, Cait Sith, and Salamanders. He didn't explain why he wanted war to break out between the 9 races either, now that I think about it. As for those 300 former SAO players, I have no idea what you're talking about. That's all I know, I swear." Sigurd finished.

Alucard thought for a moment. "It was a long shot anyway." He cursed under his breath.

"There was one thing that seemed out of place..." Sigurd suddenly continued. "While I was up there, I caught a glimpse of a huge bird cage. When I asked Oberon about it, he told me that's where he keeps 'his beloved pet.' He refused to tell me more about it, after that."

Kirito's eyes widened in surprise.  
_That's where Asuna is. I was right. _He gritted his teeth in anger.  
_How dare he treat Asuna like a pet. I'll make him pay!_

Leafa took notice of how angry Kirito looked. "Hey, what's up?" she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"It's nothing..." Kirito responded bitterly. It was obvious that he was irritated for some reason, as he was doing a horrible job hiding his emotions.

"It's obvious something is on your mind." General Eugene cut in. "What is it?"

The Black Swordsman thought about telling them for a second, but he decided against it a second later.  
_They don't need to know about her. _He quickly put on fake smile. "It's nothing."

Alucard eyed the teenager for a second. It was obvious to the vampire that something was on the boys mind. He may just ask Kirito about later. For all he knew it was those stupid teenage hormones of his acting up, but Alucard was curious to say the least.  
_He was calm until Sigurd mentioned this birdcage where Oberon supposedly holds his "pet". It's obvious Kirito has some connection to Oberon in some way._

"You're doing a poor job hiding whatever you know. You better spit it out, otherwise I'll show you how truly terrifying I can be!" The vampire grabbed Kirito by the collar of his coat.

"Why should I tell you anything? You haven't proven yourself to be the most the trustworthy person, Alucard." He retorted.

Leafa forced Alucard to release his grip on Kirito. "Are you guys seriously having a fallout, now of all times?! From what Sigurd told us, there's obviously something going on at the top of the World Tree. Both of you are obviously hiding something, so why don't you guys stop withholding information and tell us what you guys know!"

Alucard clicked his teeth in irritation. "It could be beneficial to me if I tell you what I know. However, just know that if anyone repeats this information to anyone else, just know that I will hunt them down, and kill them."

Several of the spectators gulped upon hearing this.

"Good." Alucard started by reaching into his coat pocket and pulled out a file labeled as **HELLSING: Classified Information**. He opened the file and then dumped its contents onto the table. "This should be common knowledge, but for those select few who have no idea, approximately 2 years ago, a **VRMMO** called **Sword Art Online **was released. The game was a resounding success, selling its first 10,000 copies within an hour. That's when things went straight to hell. Those 10,000 people who bought the game became trapped inside of it, and if you died in game, you would died in real life."

Kirito grimaced as he was reminded of those bitter memories. Images of those who died flashed before his eyes.  
_That's the last thing needed to be reminded of._

"2 months ago, approximately 6,147 of the SAO players were released from within the game with approximately 3,553 players dead. The remaining 300 players were still stuck in a comatose state. This caught the attention of the **Japanese Self-Defense Force**, who then contacted my master." Alucard paused.

"What makes you think that those 300 players are in here?" General Eugene asked.

The Nosferatu rummaged through the file until he found a single image. Kirito instantly recognized it. "A little while ago, this image was taken in game." Alucard showcased the image for everyone to see. It was a blurry image, but it looked like a young woman trapped within a colossal bird cage. "Her name is Asuna Yuuki, and she's one of the 300 comatose** Sword Art Online **players."

Kirito was taken aback by how much Alucard knew about the SAO incident. _Who sent him here in the first place?_

Leafa was frozen in shock.  
_Asuna Yuuki? Why does it seem like the world is revolving around her?_

"This picture was taken during an attempt to climb the World Tree. With that in mind, along with the confirmation from Sigurd that there is indeed somebody trapped at the top, it's safe to assume that that's where the remaining SAO survivors are." Alucard finished.

"So are you planning on raiding the World Tree?" Sakuya suddenly spoke up.

"If you are, we'll be happy to lend you a hand." Alicia added.

Eugene smirked. "It seems the Salamander's were blind to follow orders from Oberon. I'd be honored if you would allow me to join you."

The No-Life King stared at them in amusement. "Do you actually think that I'll be needing any of your help? If anything, you'll need my help."

All three of the commanders recoiled slightly at how Alucard addressed them.

"I could take the World Tree, on my own, in under an hour. Leave everything to me. All you'll do is get in my way, and I'd rather not have to deal with you fools. I bid you, farewell." Alucard was about to leave when Kirito grabbed his arm.

"You're taking me with you." He glared daggers at the vampire. "I don't care what you say. Nothing is going to stop me from getting to the top of the World Tree."

Alucard raised an eyebrow. He made no attempt to free himself from Kirito's grasp. The vampire was far too entranced by the courage that Kirito was displaying. "So you think yourself superior to these fools?" Alucard quickly unsheathed his sword, simultaneously slashing at the Spriggan.

Kirito quickly jumped out of the way. "What's your problem?!"

"Prove your worth to me, human!" Alucard tightened his grasp on his claymore. "If you really think yourself to be capable of keeping up, cut me down! Pierce me with your sword! Cut me down, like the monster I am!" A feral grin was plastered on his face. His eyes seemed to glow a deathly red.

"What!?" Kirito was taken aback by Alucard's sudden request. "Why should I? I don't want to kill you!"

"Then you're nothing but a dog! I want to see your full potential!" The vampire's eyes widened as he continued his mad banter. "I can see it in your eyes! That need to prove yourself! You yearn for strength! Prove to me that you're not a dog!"

Kirito was frozen in shock. What had come over Alucard? He was so calm up until now. Kirito knew that something was up, and he was determined to figure it out. "What if I say no?"

The No-Life King seemed to calm down a bit. "It seems to me that you're so determined to get to the World Tree." A sly smirk formed on his face.  
_Perhaps, if I threaten this "Asuna Yuuki", he'll be a bit more submissive. _Alucard hypothesized "It's within reason to assume that you have some sort of relation to Asuna Yuuki, in some way, shape, or form." He smiled in amusement. Alucard's line was set to reel Kirito in. "What is it then? Are you her brother, friend, or maybe something more along the lines of lover?"

The Black Swordsman felt a tinge of anger spark. He couldn't help but feel anger towards the crimson clad warrior.  
_He's goading me, I know it. The problem is, it's working. _Kirito felt his blood boil slightly. "I don't know anything about this Asuna person." He lied, attempting to feign ignorance once more.

"Oh?" Alucard saw how Kirito was close to completely exploding. "If you really don't know who Asuna is I guess you wouldn't mind if I were to dispose of her."

Kirito's eyes widened in horror. "Wha... What do you mean?"

The No-Life King chuckled to himself. "It's customary that I silence any witnesses that are classified as unimportant." He lied. "If Asuna really is unimportant, than she'll be disposed of. Of course, I'll have my fun with her, before then."

That was it, Kirito just couldn't take it anymore. He made a mad dash at Alucard, unsheathing his huge great sword. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

Alucard quickly blocked Kirito's incoming sword swing, with a surprising amount of difficulty. "Did I hit a nerve?" He smiled his usual feral smile.

Kirito unleashed a flurry of sword swings, in a desperate attempt to cut his opponent down. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'll FUCKING KILL YOU"

"Such a sharp tongue, Kirito. I never thought a mild mannered boy, such as you, possesed such a mouth." The ancient vampire laughed as he continued to parry Kirito's attacks. "If you really wish to kill me, you won't do it with sword swings like that." Alucard easily dodged and parried every single slash. "If you're going to kill me, you're going to need to work harder than that."

Leafa watched Kirito's futile attempt at defeating Alucard, in shock. She was both shocked, and angry to find out that the only reason Alucard and Kirito were even in Alfheim was because of Asuna.

Alucard was beginning to grow bored of Kirito's futile attempt to kill him. The vampire quickly grabbed the Spriggan's sword mid-swing, earning shocked reactions from the crowd. He promptly backhanded him away. "Pathetic..." Alucard stuck Kirito's sword into the ground. "I think I've wasted enough time here as it is." He turned to Sakuya and Alicia. "Don't follow me if you know what's best for you."

Sakuya and Alicia nodded nervously. "Right."

Alucard took note of the animosity that seemed to resonate from General Eugene. "What? Do you have something to say?"

The Salamander General nodded. "Why do you refuse to accept any help from any of us?"

The No-Life King scoffed at his question. "Why should I? I told you, you idiots would only get in my way." He began to take his leave. "Besides, I doubt anyone will pose a threat to..." He was cut off when he felt a sword fly straight through his chest. "What?!"

"I'm not done with you!" Kirito shoved his sword further into Alucard. "I won't let you leave here in one piece because of what you threatened to do to Asuna." The Black Swordsman dislodged his sword from within the vampire, unleashing a devastating onslaught of blows upon his opponent. With every cut, another of Alucard's limbs went flying.

As he continued to get dismembered, Alucard was drowned in his thoughts.  
_Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for. It's been so long since I last faced an opponent that had such a strong will. Abraham Van Hellsing, Jack Seward, Quicey Morris, Arthur Holmwood, Alexander Anderson, and now Kirito. _Alucard felt Kirito end his powerful combo. He took the moment to quickly regenerate his body. _I was right when I guessed that this boy possessed the strength to kill me. He is a ferocious fighter... _Alucard quickly regenerated the damage dealt to him, by Kirito.

Kirito was gasping for breath. He put all his stamina into that last ditch effort to defeat Alucard.  
_Damnit. Does this guy even have a breaking point?_ _He has to have some sort of limit. Everyone has a weakness, so what's Alucard's? _Kirito knew that Alucard was no regular player from the moment he saw him effortlessly defeat Sigurd back in Swilvane. The fact that Alucard took an onslaught of fireballs with minimal difficulty further supported this.  
_He has the ability to regenerate from virtually any injury, no matter the severity. It's safe to assume that cutting into pieces won't faze him. My best bet would be to cut him down until nothing remains. What I would do to have access to my dual wield skill. _An idea suddenly popped up into his head.

Alucard watched Kirito intently. "What's your next move, human?" He grinned. "Was that your final move? Are you out of cards to play, boy?"

The Spriggan quickly raised his hand, casting a smoke bomb spell. The resulting smoke cloud enveloped the entire plateau.

_Amusing little trick. Now, how is he going to proceed? _Alucard smirked as he heard the sound of panic. He could've sworn he heard Sigurd scream like a little girl.

Leafa was coughing up smoke as she tried to clear some of it away.

"I'm gonna borrow this." Kirito suddenly appeared behind her, and then quickly disappeared back into the smoke, with Leafa's sword in hand.

As the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Kirito, anywhere.

"Do you think he abandoned us?" One Cait Sith asked.

"Of course he didn't!" Leafa exclaimed. "Don't be ridiculous..." She muttered under her breath.

For awhile only silence filled the air, until Alucard finally broke the silence.

"Come out! I know you wouldn't run away, Kirito! Come out and fight me!"

"WHATEVER YOU SAY ALUCARD!"

The No-Life King looked up to see Kirito flying at him, with not one, but two swords in hand. He had no time to react to the young hero as he unleashed an even more vicious combo.

"I'LL PROVE TO YOU THAT I'M NOT A DOG!" Kirito obliterated the vampires arms. "IF YOU EVEN THINK OF LAYING A HAND ON ASUNA, I'LL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY, YOU DAMNED MONSTER!" He yelled his lungs off as he pressed the assault on Alucard.

He continued to slash, cutting limbs into bits. Those bits were then cut into pieces, with pieces then being cut into nothing. The first thing to go were Alucard's arms, then legs, followed by his torso.

"GO TO HELL!" Kirito yelled, obliterating the final pieces of ALucard's body.

By the time he finished, all that was left was a puddle of blood.

There was a copious amount of tension in the air. Many of the onlookers were slightly perturbed by how Kirito cut Alucard down so mercilessly.

Despite how badly damaged Alucard was, he was still conscience. He was having trouble regenerating this time, due to the lack of absorbed souls at his disposal. Usually whenever he was badly damaged in the past, he merely transferred most of the damage towards the souls within his being.  
_I hardly remember the last time I faced an opponent without at least one hundred souls at my disposal. In fact, this is probably the first time I have ever faced someone "alone". Even when I faced Anderson and Walter I had a few of those souls running around as familiars. _

Kirito sighed as he assumed that Alucard was finally finished. "He's finally finished..."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet."

"What?!" Kirito watched as the puddle of blood turned into a formless black shadow. It began to take a more humanoid form, as whatever blood that didn't combine to form the silhouette seemed to be absorbed by the being.

"You were definitely close. To bad you lack the proper weaponry needed to finish me off." The shadow finally, fully, reformed into a fully regenerated Alucard. "A commendable attempt, nonetheless."

The Black Swordsman felt hopeless. Alucard seemed unbeatable, at this point. No matter how much he tried, Alucard always regenerated.  
_Maybe it would be best if I just leave Asuna's fate in his hands, at this point. Maybe he might be merciful to her. _He was on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Is that so?" The Nosferatu seemed to hear his thoughts. "Mercy? Perhaps I'll show some, now that I know what you're capable of." Alucard teased.

"What a surprise..." Kirito said sarcastically. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Alucard was silenced by the comment. He was used to his opponents continuing their assault on him.

"Why are you even giving me a chance to defeat you?!" He continued. "What's the point?! You're unbeatable, end of story! You say that only a human can defeat you, yet here you are, easily taking everything I throw at you!" Kirito began to break down. "Does this mean I'm not strong enough to defeat you? Does this mean I was never strong enough to save Asuna?! How can I save Asuna when I can't even defeat you?"

The No-Life King felt a tinge of pity. For the first time in over 500 years, he felt pity. "Only a human can defeat a monster like me." He dropped down to Kirito's height. "Your not the first person to face me in combat, and fail. There have been so many, each of them failed. Only one man has ever defeated me..." Alucard recalled his battle with Van Hellsing. "He let me live, even after I was utterly defeated by him. Perhaps, it was punishment. I would live to see more people, wither and die in front of me. That's why I say that only a human can defeat a monster, because only a human has ever defeated me."

"How?" Kirito asked. "From what I can gather, you're not only skilled in combat, but you can regenerate from basically any injury."

"There's another reason why I say that only a human can defeat me." Alucard stood to his full height. "It's because only a human can have the will to defeat me. Humans, after all are immeasurable dreamers. So many dream of becoming heroes, or idols, and some even dream of godhood. Throughout my long life, I've never encountered any other being capable of expressing the same "never give up" attitude that humans are capable of."

Kirito stared at Alucard. For once he didn't see a feral monster, or an overconfident warrior. What he saw was an immensely old being that was tired of living. Tired of his continued existance, desperate for someone to finish him off.  
_How old are you really, Alucard?_

Alucard began to walk off. "Let's go, Kirito."

Kirito was shocked by what he just heard Alucard say. "What?"

"You said that you wanted to come with me to the World Tree. What're you waiting for?" The vampire smirked. "You proved your worth to me, Kirito. You are no dog. You are a human. Let us put an end to this "King Oberon"."

Kirito nodded. He was about to leave with Alucard when he remembered that, not only did the Sylphs and Cait Sith offer their aid, but the Salamanders too. He ran up to Sakuya, Alicia, and General Eugene. One visit to his options menu later, and a huge bag of gold appeared in his hands. "Take this and meet me and Alucard at the World Tree."

General Eugene was handed the bag and was taken aback by how heavy the bag was. "How much Yuld is in here?!"

"About 100,000 mithiril Yuld." Kirito replied.

The shock on the three commanders was highly evident. Not to mention the livid looks on the faces of their bodyguards.

"See you guys at the World Tree." Kirito smirked as he watched the three of the race leaders snap out of their flustered states. He then eyed Leafa, who looked like she was in deep thought. "Are you coming with us?"

Leafa was snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah of course." she muttered under her breath. "I want to ask you something later, in private, ok?"

"Of course." Kirito nodded as he ran after Alucard, who had gotten a huge head start.

As soon as the Spriggan was out of earshot, Leafa looked at the ground in thought. "Kirito is my big brother, Kazuto..."

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Butterfly Valley****  
****January 21, 2025 (12:12 P.M.)****  
**

King Oberon smirked as he monitored the progress of his memory manipulation project. The project was nearing it's completion and as soon as it was, he would have a world to rule over for as long as he wished.

"Kayaba was an idiot for not seeing the potential of the **Full-Dive **technology." Oberon muttered as laid back in his throne. "He foolishly ignored the potential of **SAO**,and look where he ended up."

A large purple slug-like creature entered his throne room in a hurry.

"What is it?" The Fairy King looked at the slug, with a bemused smile. He had no idea why his assistants demanded their avatars be slugs, but he wasn't about to find out about their odd fetishes.

"Well boss, we accelerated our efforts, just as you asked, and I'm pleased to announce that the research is about 90% done." The slug said triumphantly. "The process should be ready by tomorrow."

Oberon smiled devilishly. "Perfect, it seems that I may have to give you boys a promotion." He stood up from his throne and began to laugh maniacally. "Tomorrow will be the day that **Alfheim Online** becomes **Sword Art Online version II**. Once we conquer the virtual world, we'll conquer the real one, as well!" His grin widened. "No one will escape from my wrath!"

* * *

**_Writer's Notes_**

**_This was an interesting one to rewrite. There were moments that I had to absolutely rewrite, and some that just needed to be tweaked. I even had to add a little bit more, just to streamline it a bit more. _**

**_This is also the first chapter to feature the F-bomb. I thought that it would be fitting for the moment, as Kirito was pissed off at the moment. I just hope that I won't have to change the rating from T to M, just because of one F-bomb. _****_Other than that, just some standard stuff. _**

**_Chapter 8 is now in the editing phase. I'm just going to hold off on posting it, even after it's to my satisfaction._**

**_Please refrain from rioting around my house with your torches and pitchforks, as I have a reason to withhold the chapter._**

**_Chapter 8 will come out, as soon as I'm done going through Chapters 1-7, and fixing them. I just want everything else to be streamlined before moving on, as I am on the homestretch of this fanfic. It also doesn't help that chapter 8 wouldn't make sense without the edits I'm making. _**

**_That's all that can be said, for now. Enjoy, the much improved, Chapter 5!_**

**_See you next Chapter!_**

* * *

**_Have a comment, or just want to praise the story? Leave a review! Like the story? Follow and Favorite it!_**


	6. A Poison that Grows at the Heart

_**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**_

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

_**BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR**_

_**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**_

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Poison that Grows at the Heart**

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ Arun  
January 21, 2025 (12:40 P.M.)**

Kirito and Leafa stared at the central capital of Alfheim in wonder. Even Alucard had to admit, the city did look impressive.

They spent nearly an hour flying towards the World Tree, so they were exhausted from the trip.

"The World Tree." Kirito muttered under his breath as he took in the breathtaking view of the city. There were countless buildings being held within its walls. The golden lights that lined the buildings, and streets, seemed to illuminate the entire night sky.

"There's no denying it..." Leafa cut in. "This is definitely Arun, the center, and biggest city, of **Alfheim Online**."

"We've finally made it."

Yui flew out of Kirito's pocket to join the duo in taking in the sight of Arun. "This is the largest city I've ever seen. I can't believe we actually made it." The tiny pixie squeled in excitement.

"If the three of you are done…" Alucard finally spoke up. "I have a bit of a confession to make." He turned to face the two fairies. "Sigurd was lying about not knowing why Oberon wanted to spark a war between the 9 races."

Leafa was silent for a second. "How are you so sure? He didn't look like he was lying."

"The expression of a man can easily fool, if one is trained to lie, child." Alucard retorted. "There's more than one way to get information. I preformed the action on Kirito, just after he unleashed that devastating combo on me."

Kirito's eyes widened in realization of Alucard meant. "He can read minds!"

The No-Life King nodded. "It requires a bit of concentration to do. It requires that I make eye contact with my target. The target must also be at point where they are mentally unstable, Kirito being blinded by anger is a good example." He explained.  
_Drinking the blood of the target is a much easier way to do this, but they don't need to know that._

"So you read Sigurd's mind?" Leafa questioned her tall companion. "I guess it makes sense, as he was cowering in fear of you the entire time."

Kirito crossed his arms. "So what was it that you found out, Alucard?"

"Quite a bit, Kirito." The vampire said grimly. "Oberon told Sigurd that the war between the 9 races was just a farce. That, and the Grand Quest to get to the top of the World Tree, were all created as a Trojan horse, tricking players into a much more devious plot."

"Which is..?" Leafa tapped her foot impatiently.

Alucard closed his eyes. "Oberon plans on trapping the players of **Alfheim Online, **within the game itself. This will effectively recreate **Sword Art Online**."

Lefa and Kirito were mortified by what Alucard had just stated.

"Another SAO?" The blonde Sylph was on the verge of fainting. She eyed Kirito.  
_I just got my big brother, Kazuto, back, I'm not losing him again! _She glared at the vampire. "We have to stop him!"

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Agreed. I don't know how he's going to do it, but I'd rather not take any chances. We won't have time to wait for back-up. We need to climb that tree, now."

Alucard and Leafa nodded in agreement.

Just as they were about to make their way to the World Tree's entrance, an alarm suddenly blared.

"**Attention players, the server will be closed today from 10:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. of tomorrow evening for maintenance. The maintenance will include the update of the game. Please note that any players that don't log in, the following day, will have their avatars deleted. We also ask that players log out no later than 10 minutes before 10:00 P.M."**

As the message repeated itself, Kirito and Leafa were wide eyed with shock.

Alucard's signature grin faded, and was replaced by a scowl of annoyance. "It seems like a trap has been set." The vampire grunted in immense frustration. "The moment those players log in, they'll be trapped within the game. A living hell..."

"Leafa…" Kirito turned to the blonde Sylph. "What kind of defenses does the World Tree have?"

Leafa thought for a moment. "The tree is supposedly divided into 4 floors. The first floor contains a huge room containing a constantly respawning army of enemies called guardians, the 2nd room is rumored to contain a colossal maze, after is a Super Boss of some sort, and no one knows what the 4th floor contains. After that is the top of the tree."

Kirito's jaw hit the floor. "I've heard of some ridiculous dungeons, but that is cheap level design."

"Oberon is obviously hiding something, or someone, up there. Why else would he need a defense like that." Alucard mused. "We're going to need an army of players to raid that tree."

"We have the support of the Slyphs, Cait Sith, and Salamanders." Leafa commented. "They're probably keen to help us after you made Sigurd spill the beans on what was really up there." She stared at the top of the tree, but I don't think we'll have enough time to mobilize them.

"I have a few friends that may be interested in helping us." Kirito added. "They survived SAO so there's no doubt that they're going to want to prevent another crisis like that one."

Alucard nodded in agreement. "Looks like we may have an army. We just need to gather them up." The No-Life King smirked. "I'm going to take my leave. I have some business to attend to. I'll meet you back in-game at around 4:00 P.M." With that, the vampire suddenly disappeared.

"He's quite the enigma." Kirito scratched the back of his head. "He logged out without even accessing the menu."

Leafa nodded in agreement.

Now that they were alone together, Leafa wanted to ask Kirito an important question.

"Kirito."

The Black Swordsman looked back at her. "What's up?"

The blonde Sylph gathered up all of her courage. "I told you I wanted to ask you something earlier when we were leaving Butterfly Valley."

"What's your question?" Kirito tilted his head slightly.

Leafa paused for a moment. She contemplated what she was about to ask.  
_I have to ask him now. I have to know if he really is Kazuto. _The blonde took a deep breath. "Your real name's Kazuto Kirigaya, isn't it?"

Kirito was visibly shocked. He never expected anyone to actually recognize him, let alone know his real name. "H… How do you kn… know my real name?"

Leafa smiled halfheartedly. "I kinda figured..." She responded. "The way you refused to back down against Alucard when he threatened Asuna kind of made it obvious. You always talk about her at home. Not to mention the fact that you basically visit her at the hospital everyday."

Kirito put 2-and-2 together rather quickly.  
_SHE'S MY SISTER!_ He mentally panicked for a few seconds as he came to terms with the idea that he was journeying with his adoptive sister this whole time. "I didn't expect to see you here, Suguha." He decided to call her by her real name. "Can we talk IRL? I need to wrap my head around this first."

Leafa nodded as the two made their way to an inn to log out.

* * *

**London, England ~ Hellsing Estate  
January 21, 2025 (1:00 P.M.)**

Alucard opened his eyes and found himself back within his room in the catacombs of the Mansion.  
_Sir Integra should know what I just found out. _Alucard began to make his way through the halls of the mansion. "Knowing Integra, she's still sorting out paperwork."

He entered her office to see she was indeed still sorting papers.

"Welcome back Alucard." Integra didn't even give Alucard a glance. "I'm assuming the mission has been accomplished."

"Unfortunately, no. There has been a slight complication." The vampire replied.

"What sort of complication?"

"You were right about the three hundred **Sword Art Online** players being held captive there, but it seems the situation has escalated beyond what either of us could have expected." Alucard removed his hat and glasses. "Apparently the master of the game is planning on trapping every single player in **Alfheim Online** within the game, tomorrow. He apparently wishes to become the world's god"

The cigar within Integra's mouth dropped to the ground upon hearing this. "This is quite the complication. Stopping this mad man should be your top priority."

Alucard nodded. "I acquired some allies that are willing to assist me in preventing this mad man's insanity from coming into fruition. I'm returning to Alfheim at 4:00 P.M., Japan time"

Integra raised an eyebrow. Something seemed different about her servant.  
_For him to ally himself with others. That's unheard of. The only people he's ever allied himself with before were Walter, Myself, and Seras_. _Perhaps my little mission that gave him has changed him, albeit only slightly. I only gave him the mission to teach him a lesson. _She straightened her glasses. "What happened in there, Alucard? You're acting stranger than usual."

Alucard scoffed as he gathered his belongings. "Nothing is wrong, Sir Integra. I'm just practicing my people skills" He said almost sarcastically. "It's been a little over five centuries since I was last required to be even somewhat political, so I'm a little rusty."

Integra shook her head at Alucard's dry attempt at humor. "If I recall your version of politics was rather extreme. Wasn't it, Vlad the Impaler?"

The vampire rolled his eyes upon hearing the title he took when he was a human. "It was merely a strategy to keep enemies off my land. As cruel as it was, it was effective."

"From your current status of unlife, it wasn't as effective as you would have hoped." She retorted causing Alucard to stiffen slightly.

He didn't like being reminded about the incident that resulted in his "demise". It reminded him of how weak he really was and how blessed humans are to have the ability to die. "It was an act of desperation. It was a curse disguised as a blessing that saved me that day." He stared out the window, in which the sun was displayed so perfectly in the sky. "Immortality is a burden that I barely have the strength to shoulder. Thankfully, there always seems to be that one human that keeps me entertained. Anyway..." Alucard began to make his way toward the exit of the room.

"Remember Alucard." Integra stopped him before he left. "Don't do anything that will compromise the jeopardy of the mission, and most importantly don't expose yourself as a vampire."

Alucard nodded as he phased straight through one of the walls.

The Head of Hellsing stared at the wall that Alucard phased through. "Something is obviously on his mind. It's not everyday he actually attempts to be humorous. He only just recently developed a sense of whimsy." She went back to sorting through the immense pile of papers atop of her desk. "It's probably nothing..." She was too tired to notice that a single file was missing from her desk.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alucard was looking through a file he so discreetly took from Integra's pile of paperwork. The file contained the names of the survivors of the **Sword Art Online Incident**, usernames and real names.

"If my hunch is correct…" Alucard's eyes skimmed the 10,000 names within the packet. "Bingo." His eyes rested on a single individual.

* * *

**Name: Kazuto Kirigaya**

**In-Game Name: Kirito**

**Gender: Male**

**Birthdate: October 7, 2008**

**Age upon entering Sword Art Online: 14**

**City of Origin: Kawagoe City, Saitama**

**Status: Alive**

* * *

Alucard grinned in interest. "Looks like I'm taking a trip to Japan." He thought about what he was about to do. What he was basically about to do was against what Integra just said not to do. His curiosity was getting the best of him. To be quite truthful, his interest on Kirito/Kazuto was based on the fact he not only reminded him of his nemesis', but was also due to how close the boy is to becoming like him.  
_Something tells me that if anything were to happen to Asuna he wouldn't just become depressed like some normal teenager, but he would completely collapse like a dilapidated building. He may even fall for the same "blessing" that I took all those years ago. _He swiftly faded out of existence leaving no trace of his presence behind.

* * *

**Saitama, Japan ~ Kawagoe City (Kirigaya residence)  
****January 21, 2025 (10:00 P.M. ~ JST(Japanese Standard Time))**

Kazuto sat in a chair directly across from his sister, Suguha. In actuality they were cousins, but he was determined to keep that a secret.

Suguha looked at the ground in order to avoid Kazuto's gaze. She already knew that they weren't brother and sister, since her mother told her while Kazuto was stuck in SAO, but he didn't know that.

"So you're Leafa." Kazuto scratched the back of his head. "I never expected for you to get into playing VRMMOs." He smiled slightly.

"I was curious." Suguha replied. "I wondered why you were so attracted to Virtual Reality. I wondered why you spent so much time in your room on the computer." She chuckled slightly. "To tell you the truth, I resented Virtual Reality, at first, because of **Sword Art Online**. I guess I blamed the game for taking you away from me."

"I can't say I blame you..." Kazuto took a sip of the tea that Suguha prepared for the two of them beforehand. "I hated being in that world for the longest time. I only became addicted to playing online because it made me feel like a different person. Like I was actually needed." His face suddenly looked grim. "Those 2 years in SAO however, taught me that there isn't much of a difference between the real world and the virtual one. Despite having all of these abilities that made me seem unbeatable, I still felt the same in there. I saw that there was no way you could hide behind a facade and get away with it." He started to tear up a bit. "I felt hopeless, until I met Asuna. She managed to make me feel complete for the first time, in a long time. Knowing that she's trapped in a game that could possibly get even more dangerous than SAO just…" Kazuto's vision blurred as tears streamed down his cheeks. "...I don't know what i'd do with myself if anything were to happen to her."

Something about the way Kazuto uttered that last sentence seemed slightly dark to Suguha.  
_The finality in his tone. How far would Kazuto fall if something were to happen to Asuna, or worse, kill her?_ She shuddered at the prospect.  
_No matter what the outcome, despite my feelings for him, I have to make sure that Kazuto and Asuna are reunited. There's no telling what Kazuto would do if they weren't reunited._

"Please, Sugu. I need your help. I can't save her without your help." Kazuto completely broke down a second later.

Suguha was silent for a moment as she came to terms with what she was no doubt going to lose if she decided to aid Kazuto. Her final chance at winning his feelings.  
_I can't be selfish, because in the end your heart belongs to her. _

"Of course I'll help you."

* * *

**Saitama, Japan ~ Kawagoe City (City Limits)  
January 22, 2025(1:33 A.M.) **

"I've never been to Japan before. What a lovely island." Alucard stared at the city in amusement. "What is it with humans and their need to build such elaborate buildings." His eyes rested on the various buildings that seemed to be of Feudal Japan origin. "If I know my history, some of these buildings were moved. How the hell do they even pull that off?" The vampire mused. "I think I was around 300 years old when this city was first established. How nostalgic."

He realized that he was getting off track. "From the information the file gave me, Kirito, or in this case Kazuto, should be living in the more middle class area of this city." Alucard was about to make his way toward the city when he felt the presence of something extremely powerful. In fact it was probably just as powerful as him.

"What the hell?!" The Nosferatu couldn't believe what he was sensing. "Whatever I'm sensing is definitely no vampire." Suddenly the presence's energy disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.  
_I'm definitely not imagining things, am I? _

In the end, he shrugged it off as a false alarm. He began to make his way towards the city, completely unaware of the thorns rapidly growing behind him.

* * *

**Saitama, Japan ~ Kawagoe City (****Dicey Cafe)  
****January 22, 2025(8:30 A.M.)**

Kazuto sat at the bar of the Dicey Cafe early the next morning. He decided to message some of his closest friends from SAO to meet him at the Dicey Cafe.

"So what's the deal man?" Andrew, the owner of the Cafe, asked. He was among the people Kazuto messaged last night. Back in SAO, his username was Agil. "I never thought i'd see the day that the legendary Black Swordsman, the** Beater** that soloed the front lines of **Sword Art Online**, ask for help."

"The situation has become dire." Kazuto retorted. "I'll explain as soon as the others get here."

As soon as Kazuto said that, the door of the Cafe swung open. 3 people walked into the Cafe.

"Good, you guys made it." Kazuto smiled at the three.

"Of course we made it you weasel."

They were three of Kazuto's closest friends from SAO. Ryoutarou Tsuboi, or Klein in-game, was the first friend he actually made. He was the one person he knew he could rely on (other than Asuna of course.) Rika Shinozaki/Lisbeth was a blacksmith, in SAO, that served as his personal blacksmith. He had her to thank for making his swords last as long as they did. Finally there was Keiko Ayano or, as she called herself in game, Silica. She was the first person in Sword Art to tame a Feathered Little Dragon. He befriended her after stating she reminded him of his sister, Suguha.

"So why did you message us on such a short notice?" Rika asked.

Kazuto took a deep breath. "The game, **Alfheim Online**, is about to become a death game like **Sword Art Online**."

"What!?" Ryoutarou nearly fell out of his seat upon hearing this. "What do you mean it's going to become like **Sword Art Online**?"

"I mean just that." He answered. "I found this out yesterday evening, in-game."

With that he began to tell a recounting of everything that happened the day before, from meeting Leafa, to Alucard, to the battle inside the Lugru Corridor, to finally the battle at Butterfly Valley. The entire time his friends were listening intently. By the time he was finished with his story, it looked like the 4 of them, including Andrew, had seen a ghost.

"I can't believe it. Another **Sword Art Online**..." Keiko shivered as she recalled the grueling 2 years in that hell hole.

"That's why I need your help." Kazuto looked serious. "Today, at 4:00 P.M. me and maybe a large group of players are going to raid the World Tree in an attempt to prevent it from becoming a death game."

Andrew sighed. "We're basically facing a god." He said grimly. "Although, Kazuto has proven that it's not impossible."

Ryoutarou nodded in agreement. "Yeah! We can definitely take em!" He exclaimed.

Kazuto shook his head. "We got off easy when I defeated Heathcliff. He made sure to turn his immortality setting, off. Not to mention the fact that, despite everything he did, he was a man of his word." The young man recalled how Akihiko Kayaba, under the guise of Heathcliff, not only helped out the players in-game by leading the **Knights of the Blood Oath**, but actually was true to his word of releasing the players of SAO after being beaten. "I have no idea who the GM of **Alfheim Online** is. We don't even know if GM is really in charge."

"I actually did some research a couple days ago." Andrew brought out a laptop and opened up. He quickly brought up an image of a man.

Kazuto instantly recognized him. "Sugou Nobuyuki!" He clenched his fist in anger. His friends were surprised that he reacted so angrily.

"Do you know him?" Rika asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"I should've known that bastard was behind all of this!" Kazuto slammed his fist onto the bar top. "Of course I know him. He's marrying Asuna, against her will, on the 26th. He's a greedy, perverted, two-faced, coward!"

"If that's true, then he's definitely going to abuse his power when we fight him." Keiko stared at the ground sadly.

"It doesn't matter what he uses against us now, and do you know why?" Kazuto gritted his teeth in anger. He was met with silence. "Because now there's nothing in existence that can stop me from saving Asuna! Sugou has made this personal!"

Ryoutarou actually backed up slightly. There was something different about Kazuto. Kazuto was actually more intimidating than he remembered.  
_He's not acting like himself. I mean, I knew that he and Asuna were close, but this is scary. He's become a force to be reckoned with_

* * *

**Saitama, Japan ~ Kawagoe City****  
****January 22, 2025(12:01 P.M.)**

Alucard yawned as he relaxed on a park bench. He had searched for Kazuto the entire night, but made little to no progress. The vampire actually sensed Kazuto's presence earlier that day. Although he couldn't sense where he was, he did know that the boys emotions fluctuated when he did sense him.

"I need to find him before it's to late..." Alucard muttered under his breath. He realized why the young man piqued his interest now. Kazuto reminded Alucard of himself in a way, more specifically him as a human.

"The way he's so passionate to protect Asuna was the same as my passion to protect my kingdom." The vampire scowled. "They say history repeats itself. I'm beginning to think that's true, and if it is, then Kazuto is in danger."

Never in his unlife has he ever felt so protective of someone. He knew that the kid was beginning to grow on him, but not this much.  
_Damnit all to hell. I gave up being human a long time ago, but this boy... _Alucard's expression softened from that of a scowl to a look of sympathy.

"There is no way in heaven, or hell, that I will allow him to fall victim to the pain I fell victim to." He stood up and resumed his search, once again, oblivious to the thorns that steadily snaked their way around the bench he was sitting at.

* * *

**Saitama, Japan ~ Kawagoe City****  
****January 22, 2025(3:06 P.M.)**

Kazuto ran home, alone, in a hurry. He and his friends all agreed to meet up in-game at Arun. He felt ashamed of the way he acted. "I was a completely different person in there..."

His head was facing the ground, as he was deep in thought. He was so deep in thought that he ran into someone. Kazuto fell flat on his back. "I'm so sorry." He bowed slightly when he got up.

The man he ran into was a giant. He was at least a foot taller than Andrew, and around Alucard's height. He wore a grey cassock with a purple trim. He wore a gold cross around his neck as well as white gloves, much like Alucard's. His hair was blonde and he wore circular glasses that perfectly framed his face. The most notable detail was the large wedge shaped scar on his left cheek.

"No need to apologize child." He spoke with a distinct Scottish accent. "Just be sure to pay attention to where you're runnin. You might not be so lucky if I were someone else." The man smiled.

"Thanks for the advice." Kazuto nodded. "I'll be sure to watch out, from now on."

"That's the spirit." He patted Kazuto on the back. "Now run along home. I'm sorry I kept you."

Kazuto smiled and continued walking home.

As soon as he did, the man's smile faded. "That boy..." His emerald eyes flashed gold for a moment. "I sense a sliver of evil forming in his heart." Thorns formed on the ground around him. "I better keep an eye on him..."

* * *

**_Writer's Notes_**

**_I thought that this was going to be an easy fix, but then I encountered a little continuity error. All fixed now!_**

**_Other than that stupid mistake on my part, everything else seemed just fine about this chapter._**

**_See ya next chapter!_**

* * *

**_Have a comment, or just want to praise the story? Leave a review! Like the story? Follow and Favorite it!_**


	7. The Two Monsters

**_"The next chapter will come out soon" he says. "Expect it to be done very soon" he says. The gap between Chapter 6 and 7 is atrocious, I know. More than a month of complete silence from this fic, although at least it hasn't been a year. _**

**_After disappearing for a month, here it is. Chapter 7!_**

* * *

__**DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**__

__**SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER.**__

__ITALICS=THOUGHTS__

****BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.****

_****BOLD ITALICS= NARRATOR/ME****_

__**(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)**__

****Hellsing Art Online****

* * *

****Chapter 7: The Two Monsters****

****On top of the World Tree  
January 22, 2025 (2:00 P.M)****

The world below the World Tree was a beauty that Asuna couldn't experience. She was stuck in her bird cage, unable to escape to the world below.

For some odd reason, Sugou/Oberon began to change the pass code to her prison daily. This made it just about impossible to escape the cage. This also made his daily visits even more aggravating to the former SAO player.

"You're probably wondering what I'm up to."

Asuna turned around to see Sugou enter her cage. "I'm not interested in what runs through that disgusting head of your's." She eyed the ground in an attempt to avoid eye contact with that monster.

"How hurtful." Sugou feigned hurt as he sat in the chair across from her. "To think such a pretty face could ever spout such poison from her mouth. You're father and mother would surely disapprove." He placed a hand on Asuna's bare stomach. "After all, we are about to get married in a couple of days."

The chestnut haired girl pushed his hand away immediately. "The moment I get out of here I swear I'm going to..."

"To what?" The mad man interrupted. "Report me? As if i'd actually give you a chance to do so. After all, you and I are going to be in Alfheim for the rest of our lives."

Asuna gasped. "What're you going to do?!"

Sugou rolled his eyes. "You aren't the most attentive girl I've met. I went over this yesterday." A large overview of the land of Alfheim appeared before him. "At exactly 12:00 P.M. tomorrow, any players logged in at the moment will be trapped within** Alfheim Online**. A whole world for me to rule as god." He smirked in amusement as he stared at the horrified expression on Asuna's face. "You can blame that hero boyfriend of yours, and that freak show friend of his. Their sudden appearance forced me to accelerate my plans."

"You have the right to be afraid of him." Asuna frowned at the monster before her. "Kirito is going to mop the floor with you."

The fake god let out a sinister laugh. "Hardly." Sugou smiled like a mad man. "I've already beaten him."

Asuna felt his hands slide down her sides.

"He won't do anything as long as I keep my leash on you. Especially now that the memory manipulation project is just about complete." Sugou chuckled. "I told you that I wouldn't manipulate your memories but..." His voice trailed off as he began to slowly untie the ribbon that was keeping Asuna's chest from being bare. "I'm beginning to think that I would rather have no complications whatsoever."

Asuna trembled as Sugou stopped his assault midway.

"We're going to enjoy ourselves when that time comes, aren't we? Complete control is such a lovely concept."

* * *

****Kawagoe City, Saitama ~ Kirigaya residence****

****January 22, 2025 (3:10 P.M.)****

Kazuto sat on his bed waiting for the clock to hit 4:00. He really wanted time to move faster. Despite the fact he could easily just log into **Alfheim Online**, he chose to wait for his friends to log in.

_Alucard. _Kazuto began to think about the insane player. _He's definitely no where even close to being a normal ALO player and his stats have to be even higher than Heathcliff's when I fought him. The only way he could have stats as high as those is if he's a survivor of Sword Art. It's the only explanation._

His thoughts wandered toward Asuna. He missed her warm embrace. He missed fighting side-by-side with her. He missed her cooking. He, most of all, missed seeing her in general.

"Asuna..."

* * *

**Kawagoe City, Saitama ~ City Limits**

**January 22, 2025(3:35 P.M.)**

Alucard had probably searched the city all night, with no sign of Kirito/Kazuto. "Where is that boy? He couldn't just have disappeared into thin air."

The vampire couldn't believe he was even wasting his time looking for Kirito. Alucard knew he was overreacting, but something in his gut told him to go on a wild goose chase through Kawagoe City, looking for Kirito.

"I think I've already wasted enough time as it is." Alucard sighed in annoyance. "I'll probably find him in-game, ready to risk life and limb for his girlfriend." He began to fade back into nowhere.

_Shank!_

A large blade lodged itself into Alucard's right shoulder. "What!?"

Suddenly, a large barrage of bayonets impaled the impaler prince. The vampire was firmly nailed to one of the many trees surrounding him.

"Why am I not surprised that you of all people are alive." A thick Scottish accent rang through the woods.

"No..." Alucard rasped as he dislodged the bayonets in his body. "You're dead. I killed you myself." He pulled out his signature guns. The two weapons gleamed in the sunlight. "What brings you back from the dead, Anderson?"

Alexander Anderson, the _**deceased **_secret weapon of the Iscariot Organization, walked out from behind one of the trees. "I could ask you the same thing Alucard. What brings you to Japan?"

"Personal reasons." Alucard answered quickly. "Your turn. I remember killing you thirty years ago. How did you get here?"

The bayonet priest remained silent for a moment. Anderson stared at the sky, as if in longing. "I was stuck in-between the living world and the afterlife for the past thirty years, neither dead nor alive." His hand became covered in thorns. "I couldn't truly die because of the Nail of Helena, nor could I regenerate due to the damage that you dealt me, Alucard."

"Stuck wandering the Earth for the last thirty years." The No-Life King muttered to himself. "I did warn you, Anderson. I told you exactly what that nail would do, and you still went through with impaling yourself with it. Whatever happened to you in-between life and death was on you. All that pain you put on yourself was all you." Alucard paused for a moment. "So how did you escape your hell?"

Anderson smirked. "It took immense concentration to do so. Like how you have the ability of omniscient-presence, I have a much weaker variation of it. It just happened that the Nail of Helena did a bit more than augment my strength." He undid his shirt to reveal a gaping hole where his heart should've been. "I'm technically neither dead nor alive. I'm an undead creature much like you."

"Well are you satisfied with what you've done to yourself?" Alucard asked bitterly. "While you're not a vampire, you're still immortal just like one. How does it feel knowing that your closest friends and allies will all die, while you yourself continue to live?"

The bayonet priest shook his head. "You are so presumptuous, Alucard." Anderson turned toward the heavens. "I've been on this Earth much longer than humanely possible. You know when the regenerator project began?"

Alucard nodded. "I was there when it did. It was the mid-18th century."

"Correct." He leaned up against a tree. "Scientist were trying to create the perfect human imaginable. To be more accurate, they were trying to find the secret to immortality." Anderson scoffed as he retold his origins. "I was a simple catholic priest, just entering his thirties. Back then I didn't believe in the existence of undead creatures. I thought of them as nothing but foolish tales meant to scare away children."

The No-Life King watched the priest intently.

"I denied any claims that vampires existed." Tears began to form in Anderson's eyes. "Until one of those monsters took "her" away from me." He quickly wiped his tears away. "I swore vengeance on these creatures of the night. I hunted the vampire down and faced it in combat. I took a bayonet and pierced it's heart. So began my endless war on the undead. Eventually, I joined the Iscariot Organization and became the worlds first regenerator in 1897."

Alucard's eyes widened in surprise. _Like me, he became the first of his kind. Not only that, but he became the first regenerator the same year I battled with Abraham Van Hellsing._

"So, Alucard." Anderson crossed his arms. "Don't say that I don't know what it's like watching those you care for wither and die in front of you. I know the feeling all to well. The pain of watching them die. The anger toward God. The hatred of being immortal. I'm well aware of all of those Alucard."

The vampire thought for a moment. "Have you ever stopped to consider how similar the both of us are? We're both immortal beings that have been forced to cope with immortality. Why fight?"

Anderson spawned two bayonets. A grin appeared on the priest's face. "That may be so, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a vampire. When I said endless war against the undead, I meant endless war." He chucked the bayonets at Alucard.

Alucard quickly neutralized the two bayonets with his guns. "Fine, if you're so eager to be killed again, then come at me Judas priest!"

A flurry of bullets was unleashed upon Anderson, as he summoned several more bayonets. Thorns protruded from his back, forming a barrier to protect him. He quickly threw all the bayonets he could.

The vampire ducked and dodged every single one, while simultaneously firing at Anderson. Much to his chagrin, the thorns, much like Walter's monofilament wires, deflected every single bullet. Alucard was suddenly lifted into the air. His head turned to see a bunch of thorns wrapping around his leg.

"Is that all, Alucard?" Anderson smirked as he watched the thorns toss the nosferatu around like a rag doll. "I must say, you've become sloppy since our battle thirty years ago."

Alucard was struggling to untangle his leg. He quickly shot the thorns. Causing him to be flung into a few trees. During the whole skirmish, he ended up dropping the Casull. "That's inconvenient." He quickly loaded any, if not all, of his mercury tipped bullets into the Jackal.

"Neither height nor depth..."

Alucard quickly turned around to see Anderson approaching him. He held his bayonets in the signature cross formation.

"Nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus." His bayonets sparked slightly as they slid against each other. "AMEN!"Anderson charged Alucard in a wild frenzy.

The vampire quickly unloaded his entire clip into the priest to no avail, as Anderson regenerated what bullet wounds was dealt to him.

"Game over you damned monster." Anderson brought his bayonets down on Alucard. Much to his shock, the blades were met with another blade.

Alucard held his claymore tightly in his hands. "****Hellsing BLDS 001: Crimson Nosferatu******." **He smirked at the shock in Anderson's eyes. "If I can't beat you with guns, I'll beat you with a sword."

The duo clashed sword and bayonet in an intense struggle.

Alucard threw a hefty punch to try and distract Anderson, but the priest merely countered by throwing punch of his own.

Both fist collided with their targets face. They swiftly returned to exchanging blows.

Anderson gritted his teeth in frustration. While he duel wielded his bayonets in a graceful fashion, Alucard almost effortlessly deflected all of his attacks on him. _I need to find a way past his hundreds of years of experience. Even if I land a blow on him, the damned monster will just regenerate._

Alucard, while it looked like he was giving no effort, was on the verge of being overwhelmed by Anderson. Despite his natural skill with a sword, Anderson's skills with duel wielding was making him stay on his toes. _His skills are incredible. I haven't been able to find an opening in his form. Even then, his regenerative abilities mirror mine in every way. Any damage won't remain for very long._

Anderson suddenly summoned another bayonet, lodging it into Alucard's chest.

The vampire was going to pull it out when he noticed the blade was hissing. "What!?"

The bayonet priest smirked as he jumped out of the way. "AMEN!" His bayonet exploded in Alucard's chest, leaving a massive crater where the No-Life King once stood. Anderson crossed his arms in satisfaction. "We both know that didn't finish you, Alucard. Why don't you come on out and fight me like the vampire you are?"

"Don't mind if I do." Alucard suddenly appeared behind Anderson. There was the distinctive click of a gun. "You seem to have forgotten about my other gun." Before Anderson could even react, He unloaded a whole cartridge of explosive rounds into the priest. Each bullet blew off a chunk of Anderson, whilst leaving craters where the priest stood.

Anderson was soon reduced to a pile of burning thorns. After a few seconds, the thorns seemed to be absorbed into the Earth.

Alucard quickly loaded his remaining explosive rounds into the Casull. After doing so, he unsheathed his claymore once more. "Where is he..."

Suddenly, a flurry of thorns erupted from the ground beneath Alucard. They quickly dragged the shocked vampire into the ground. After a second or so, he found himself landing in a small cave system. Thanks to his vampiric abilities, he easily saw his surroundings in the pitch black cave.

After scanning the cave for a few seconds, he began to hear hissing. "No..." Alucard's eyes widened as the cave was illuminated by the fuses of at least one hundred explosive bayonets. Each bayonet was ready to detonate at any given moment to not only kill Alucard, but to provide him a suitable grave.

"Ashes to ashes..."

Alucard's eyes shot above him to see Anderson staring down at him through the hole he was dragged through.

"...dust to dust. We are nothing but dust, and to dust we shall return." Anderson recited the verse in a cold manner, befitting of the nemesis of Alucard. "Amen."

Alucard quickly braced himself for a world of pain, while Anderson quickly moon jumped out of the blast radius.

In a spectacular explosion, that possibly surpassed the power of fifty tons of TNT, the forest that the two monsters were fighting in, was engulfed in holy flames. The explosion was massive enough to be seen from the furthest corner of Kawagoe City. The ground shook, as if it was unable to cope with titanic explosion that was occuring.

From within the city, various bystanders were in a panic at the sight of the continuously rising flames, that seemed to blacken the heavens. Law enforcement, Fire men, medics, and news helicopters went into action.

When the explosion finally ended, the forest was ablaze in fire.

Anderson, who somehow escaped the explosion, stood in the flames. He felt uneasy, as if he knew that Alucard would somehow have escaped the blast. His eyes caught sight of something flying in the air. Anderson saw that it was Alucard's crimson fedora, engulfed in the righteous flames.

"You almost had me there."

Anderson sighed, unfazed by his enemy's miraculous escape. "No matter what we do, we're never going to be able kill you." He turned to see Alucard. His coat was in tatters, and his right arm and leg were nothing but a shadowy mass of tendrils.

Alucard coughed up a glob of blood. "That's the most damage anyone has ever dealt me in a long time." He grunted in pain as he struggled to regrow his missing limbs.

The bayonet priest watched the vampire with unwavering eyes. Part of him pitied the undead monsters pitiful state.

"Look at us." Alucard leaned up against one of the many smoldering tree's. "The Monster of God and the No-Life King. You're right when you say that you'll never kill me, no matter what you do. Only a human can defeat a monster." He coughed up some more blood. "The same can be said for you too, Anderson."

"What do you mean?" Anderson raised an eyebrow.

"It's simple, my nemesis." He finally managed to regenerate his leg. "Deny it all you want, you are a monster just like me. Neither of us will be able to finish off the other. Isn't the fact that you survived our battle thirty years ago enough evidence?"

The priest scowled in anger, but quickly calmed himself. The more he thought about it , the more Alucard's words ringed true. _He's right. My most powerful explosives and he still stands. I had my heart torn out by him, and yet I still live._

"You're right." Anderson said calmly. "Our bout is pointless at this point. We'll never kill each other." Anderson approached Alucard, and met him eye-to-eye.

"Being enemies is pointless, Anderson." The nosferatu held his hand out. "Being allies, however, will make us impossible to defeat."

Anderson laughed to himself. "Allies, eh?" The priest crossed his arms for a moment. "You've changed since we last fought, Alucard. If you were the same Alucard I fought in Britain, you would've never considered even stopping our fight."

It was Alucard's turn to laugh. "Maybe it's the fact that I've been around humans for the past 24 hours." Alucard suddenly remembered why he came to Japan. "Kirito."

"Hmm?" Anderson's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who's Kirito?"

"There's no time to explain." Alucard said quickly. "You said you have a much weaker variation of my omniscient-presence ability. Are you able to cross into the virtual world?"

The bayonet priest raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean that silly Alfheim thing that kids of this day and age never seem to stop talking about? In theory, possibly."

"We're basically a Deus Ex Machina at this point." The vampire muttered under his breath. "Meet me in the game. I'll explain everything to you then." He then faded into nothing.

Anderson didn't even know how to react. "What the hell are we going to find in a video game?" The priest had no time to mull it over, as several copters were now hovering over him. He quickly followed Alucard's leading, hoping to get the answers.

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory, Arun**  
**January 22, 2025 (4:22 P.M.)**

Kirito and Leafa found themselves waiting patiently at the base of the world tree. They logged on about twenty minutes prior, so it was only natural for Kirito to feel impatient.

"Hey, Kirito!"

The duo turned to see Klein, Agil, Lisbeth, and Silica.

"So this is it, Kirito?" Klein narrowed his eyes, in a vain attempt to see the top of the tree.

"Yeah." Kirito crossed his arms. "All your stats should be the same as your Sword Art Online stats."

"Yeah, I noticed." Agil slashed the air with a battle axe. "So are we going to do this, or what?"

Leafa shook her head. "We're waiting on someone else. He said he'd show up around 4:00, but we haven't seen him."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he chickened out. You are asking someone to raid an impenetrable fortress."

Silica nodded in agreement. "I'm beginning to think that this game was designed to be impossible."

"I know." The Black Swordsman crossed his arms. "If we don't act fast, we may get trapped in game again. Maybe I was asking for a bit."

Yui suddenly flew out of Kirito's breast pocket, startling his friends. "The system is under going massive changes."

Kirito raised an eyebrow. "What kind of changes?"

The navigation pixie's eyes widened slightly. "It looks like all of the players are being logged out, daddy. 1,000 players, 900 players, 800 players. The numbers keep dropping."

The 6 warriors watched as log out beacons lit the sky. Soon the entire city of Arun was empty, save for Kirito's friends.

"This place is giving me the creeps now." Liz shuddered at the dead silence.

"I always thought that getting a private server with friends would be cool but..." Klein surveyed his surroundings. "This kinda bone chilling."

Not a single other player was found in the world. Not even the the chirping of the virtual birds could be heard. Just the dead silence of Alfheim, and the occasional breeze. The once lively world of Alfheim had become a desolate landscape.

"Welcome heroes." A mocking voice taunted them from behind.

The group turned to see King Oberon standing at the base of the World Tree in all his glory.

"So these are the knights in shining armor that have chosen to oppose their god." Oberon/Sugou smirked in amusement. "It's reassuring to know that courage can even find it's way into spineless maggots like yourselves. Low-class scum that haven't the faintest idea of how hopeless the situation really is."

Kirito scowled at the Fairy King. "I'm going to make you pay for kidnapping Asuna, Sugou." He spat. "I swear, I will kill you."

Leafa saw how serious Kirito looked, and backed away. "Big brother?"

"Stay out of this, Sugu." He responded coldly. "That goes double for you guys." He gestured towards his friends.

"Hey!" Klein grabbed his friends shoulder. "You brought is in here to help you out! Now you want us to back off!? No way, Kirito! We'll face him..." He was pushed away forcibly by Kirito.

"I don't need your help, nor do I want it." A dark vibe seemed to radiate off of Kirito. "I don't know why I even bothered calling you guys to help." He unsheathed his large sword.

"What's your deal, Kirito!?" Agil helped Klein up. "You're acting like a damn fool!"

The Spriggan didn't even bother looking at his friends. "Let's face it. You guys are liabilities. Throughout SAO it was always me that had to save the day. Help Klein, defeat Illfang the Kobold Lord, become the first Beater, save Silica, help Liz, defeat Gleam Eyes, defeat Kayaba, the list goes on and on!" Kirito spat. "You guys always stood there and let ME take care of everything!"

"Is Mr. Hero having a fallout with his sidekicks?" Oberon suddenly spoke up. "That's not good at all. You were always described to me as the kindest, and bravest, person ever. Look at you squabbling like the piece of shit you really are. Asuna would be so disappointed with you." An amused grin was plastered on his face as Kirito slowly lost control of himself. "Her knight in shining armor, reduced to a emotional wreck."

That was the final straw. Kirito dashed at Oberon, flailing his sword around like a mad man.

"Kirito!" His friends yelled in unison, as they vainly tried to stop him. Unfortunately, their stats were nowhere near Kirito's, meaning their the speed stats were overshadowed by his.

Suddenly a gunshot echoed across the empty hub of Arun.

Everyone turned to see two figures standing on top of one of the countless buildings in the city. They gracefully jumped off of the building, landing right next to Kirito's friends.

"Alucard!" Leafa laughed as the vampire slowly made his way towards Kirito.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Alucard glared at the young Spriggan. "Do you have a death wish?"

Kirito shook his head slowly. "You don't understand. He has Asuna, and I have to save her!"

Alucard grabbed the adolescent teenager and backhanded him. "Use your brain, stupid! He's playing you right into a trap." The vampire eyed Oberon. "He may not be attacking you physically, but he sure as hell is attacking you psychologically."

"He's right, lad." Anderson suddenly appeared behind Kirito. "You can't fight properly when blinded by anger. Take it from a man with experience. Calm down."

Kirito's eyes widened upon seeing Anderson. "Wait a minute, you're that guy that I ran into earlier today!"

Anderson raised an eyebrow. "You're the boy that ran into me earlier? I guess that it's by God's divine will that I met you."

"So the mysterious stranger shows himself." Oberon crossed his arms. "Looks like you're smarter than you look."

Alucard laughed out loud. "Years of experience helps in that regard, and I've lived long enough to surpass the greatest tacticians in history. A silly thing like psychological warfare is easy to detect, especially since I've used psychological attacks many times."

"Is that so?" Oberon scoffed. "I take it your reason for being here is much more deep then saving my sweet little Asuna?" A sly smirk formed.

"Hellsing Organization, Alucard." The No-Life King mock bowed. "My master suspected a hostage situation taking place in this very game. She sent me to investigate."

_Hellsing? Alucard?_ Klein listened in with interest. He swore he heard about the Hellsing organization somewhere before_. _

"I'm surprised, Alucard." Anderson crossed his arms in amusement. "I thought you needed my help disposing of some vampire scum, but you just called me to help you baby sit children. Hellsing has fallen so low."

"Not as low as the Iscariots." The vampire retorted. "Last time I checked, the Iscariot organization was down to only ten or so members."

"Hellsing!" Klein suddenly shouted out.

The two monsters turned toward the amber haired player.

"I've read all of the conspiracies about the Hellsing organization!" He continued. "Hellsing, the greatest terrorist defense in the whole world."

The No-Life King sighed in annoyance. _Nowadays people just seem to know Hellsing as nothing more than a terrorist fighting group. Where did my precious standards go? Before now I would've never bothered taking such a ridiculous mission. I miss killing vampire scum. _

Agil's eyes widened. "The same Hellsing that fought during the Battle of London in 1995!?" He shuddered. "My parents used to tell me stories of the massacre that occurred that day. At least 9/10 of the population of London died."

"I've never heard of the Battle of London before." Kirito raised an eyebrow. "What's the Battle of London?"

"You're so oblivious, big brother." Leafa rolled her eyes. "I learned all about it in history last year."

"The Battle of London, or Zepplin Incident as it's known world wide, was a terrorist strike against the entirety of the world. Despite the fact that all of the worlds major powers were attacked, rumors had it that the fighting was mostly focused on London, England." The blonde Sylph explained. "No one knows what the goal of the terrorist were."

Alucard remained silent for a moment. "Shall we get back on topic, or did we forget the sociopathic scientist before us?"

All attention returned to Sugou/Oberon.

"So why have you booted everyone, but us, from the game?" Klein glared at the GM.

"What are your motives?" Lisbeth joined in the fray.

"Motives?" Oberon grinned. "My motives are simple. I took over the original Sword Art servers for many reasons. The most prominent reason is to achieve my ultimate dream: godhood." He raised his arms into the sky, as if praising something. "The real world is a foolish, and chaotic, world. It's sullied by the low class filth. Uncontrollable, violent, and disgusting people. That is why I've been researching the alteration of the human brain."

Alucard, seeing where this was going, gritted his teeth in rage. "You're a complete fool! Tampering with the brain is like messing with a mans soul! No being, whether it be man or god, should have that kind of power!"

Oberon cackled madly. "That's why I shall become a being beyond a god. I shall become the benevolent ruler of both the real, and virtual, worlds!"

"You won't get away with this!" Leafa unsheathed her sword. "We'll stop you!"

The Fairy King's grin only widened at Leafa's declaration. "You've already lost. My research is just about complete, and I have just about 300 test subjects at my disposal! Although, I do need some amusement..." Oberon was silent for a moment. He then snapped his fingers, causing the gates to the World tree to burst open. "I'll give you a chance to defeat me. Get to the top of the tree within the next 2 hours, or log out like the spineless cowards you really are." He was suddenly beamed up, probably to the top of the tree.

"Your dragon awaits you, Kirito." His voice rang across the empty city.

The group of heroes thought for a moment. They were the only defense against this mad man's twisted designs.

"If any of you guys want to log out now, be my guest." Kirito unsheathed his sword. "I wouldn't blame you guys if you did. I was a jerk back there."

The SAO survivors remained silent.

"Why would we abandon you now, Kirito?" Klein stood at his side, sword unsheathed.

"If anything, we owe you." Agil gripped his battle axe with one hand.

"We're here to the very end, big brother." Leafa flourished her sword.

"You can count on me and Pina to help out this time, Kirito!" Silica summoned up her faithful familiar, Pina.

"He has my best friend up there, so I'm not backing out either." Lisbeth gave Kirito a flirty smile.

"We have to save mommy together, daddy." Yui popped her tiny head out of Kirito's breast pocket.

Alucard and Anderson were surprised by the groups determination.

"They may actually pull this off, Alucard." Anderson scoffed. "The one mistake I made during our battle in London, was the fact I stood alone. You had Seras Victoria by your side the entire time."

Alucard nodded. "Such fascinating humans. All of them are driven by a common goal, just like Abraham Van Hellsing's motley crew." He unsheathed his sword. "I still have to complete my mission."

The bayonet priest watched in amusement as the evilest being in the whole of creation, sided himself with a bunch of children. _How the times have changed._

"Anderson!" Alucard grinned at the Monster of God. "Are you coming, or not?"

Anderson nodded as he summoned up two twin bayonets. "This man claims to be God. I shall cut him down, and cast him into the depths of hell. No other punishment is fitting for such a man."

The 8 warriors stood at the entrance to the World Tree.

"This is it." Kirito stared at the entrance. "The final dungeon." His eyes rested on the top of the tree. _Here I come, Asuna. It doesn't matter where you are in the world. Whether it be the tallest mountain, or the deepest sea. I will find you._

With that final thought, the group proceeded forward. They proceeded into the gates of Hell.

* * *

_**This was such a hellish chapter to write. I found the writing the fight between Alucard and Anderson to be enjoyable to write, but I can't say I'm completely satisfied with how the confrontation with Sugou/Oberon came out. Moving on!**_

_**We're officially at the final stretch. I can't believe That I've actually made it to this point. There has been so much WTF moments in this fic, but I doubt that I could change them without completely rewriting the entire fic at this point. After Hellsing Art Online is done, I may continue on and do the first arc of Sword Art Online II(the only good part of the pointless sequel that is Sword Art Online II). I may not, but that all depends on if this story ends strong.**_

_**Thank you to all the people who have dealt with the, somewhat, schizophrenic chapter release times. Who am I kidding, the release of these chapters ARE schizophrenic! More props to those who have waited patiently.**_

_**Until the next chapter! **_


	8. Up the World Tree!

**_DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS._**

**_SWORD ART ONLINE IS OWNED BY REKI KAWAHARA. I OBVIOUSLY DON'T OWN ANY OF SAO's CHARACTERS EITHER._**

_ITALICS=THOUGHTS_

**BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT.**

**_BOLD ITALICS= NARRATOR_**

**_(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)_**

**Hellsing Art Online**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Up The World Tree! (PART 1)**

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory, Arun**  
**January 22, 2025 (5:00 P.M. ~ 2 hours left on the clock...)**

The first thing the group of warriors noted was the sheer size of the first floor of the tree. It was as tall as the entire length of a football field. The walls were lined with orangish white panels, all of which were comparable to the combs in a bee hive.

"So this is the first floor." Klein looked around. "It doesn't look too bad."

"Don't let it's appearance fool you." Leafa gripped her sword tightly. "No one has ever made it past this room. Not even the biggest raiding parties have even gotten close."

Kirito smirked in confidence. "Well, those raiding parties didn't consist of former **Sword Art Online** players." He held his sword over his right shoulder. "Those raiding parties didn't have Alucard either."

Anderson frowned at Kirito's deceleration. "What about me? Do I not count as anything?"

The Black Swordsman scratched the back of his head. "Well the thing is, I haven't exactly seen you fight. I don't have a good concept of what you're capable of."

The Monster of God scoffed as he summoned two of his signature bayonets. "I guess I'll just have to prove myself. I am easily worth as much as Alucard"

"Is that a hint of pettiness I sense?" Alucard laughed. "How childish of you, Anderson. Have you developed a new sense of whimsy?"

"As if you're any less petty..." Anderson rolled his eyes.

Lisbeth's eyes widened. "I just remembered!" The pink haired Leprechaun ran up to Kirito. She quickly entered her inventory. After a few pings, two swords appeared in her hands.

Kirito's eyes widened in surprise. "Those aren't..."

Liz nodded as she handed him the two blades. "I've sent them over to your inventory."

The Black Swordsman immediately went into his inventory. The swords that Lisbeth gave him were in his inventory, just like she said. Kirito quickly equipped both. The two swords replaced the mighty blade he had been carrying around since he left Swilvane. Eager to test the blades out, Kirito unsheathed them.

"I'm guessing your satisfied with my handiwork?" Liz grinned as she watched the Spriggan play around with his new toys.

"How did you recreate them?" Kirito slashed the air with the two blades. "They even feel the same as in SAO." The two swords were exact replicas of his signature weapons during the final stretch of **Sword Art Online**, the **Elucidator** and **Dark Repulsor**.

"I figured that you lost them upon transferring over to **Alfheim Online**, so I figured I could forge them before we started the raid." The pink haired blacksmith explained. "It took me awhile to get the correct materials to even forge them, new recipes and all. I just hope it's worth it."

"But there's no custom content!" Kirito laughed as he slashed the air.

"I know, but since ALO is based off of SAO the coding for the swords had to be in the system somewhere. It was just a matter of recreating them." Liz smirked. "To your satisfaction, I hope."

The Black Swordsman nodded. "They're perfect." Kirito gave her a confident smile. _I can now fight to my maximum potential. I may not have the sword skills from SAO, but I won't let that impede me._

A siren suddenly blared, taking Kirito out of his thoughts.

"Here comes the welcome committee!" Agil pointed his axe at the panels on the wall. They were now spawning hundreds of, what can only be described as, mechanical stone statues.

"Leafa! Are these the Guardians you mentioned earlier?" Alucard unsheathed his sword.

"Yeah." The blonde Sylph prepped herself for the swarm of Guardians. "They'll keep spawning until we reach the exit at the ceiling of this floor."

"Stop talking and prepare for battle!" Anderson formed a cross with his bayonets. "Push forward until we reach our destination!" The bayonet priest charged a large group of Guardians, slashing them into pieces with much glee.

Kirito gripped both of his swords, but not tight enough to the point that he couldn't move fluidly. "Yui!" He called out his adopted daughter.

The tiny pixie popped her head out of Kirito,s breast pocket. "Yes, daddy?"

The Spriggan let his friends take the front lines, just for a second. "Can you preform a scan on these guys, Yui?" Kirito jumped into the fray, cutting down Guardians left and right. "I want to know if you can identify any weaknesses these guys may have."

Yui nodded, quickly doing as she was told. "Well, according to the system, one individual Guardian is the equivalent of a regular in-game monster. They aren't any trouble individually, but as a group they pose a much greater threat."

"So in other words..." Kirito reversed the grip of both of his blades, impaling a Guardian directly behind him. "...these guys are basically the equivalent of a Super Boss, right?"

The navigational pixie nodded. "Correct, these Guardians are indeed formidable."

Kirito finished off the last of a mini squadron of Guardians, only to see the panels on the walls spawn more.

"Can I get a little support here, buddy!?"

Kirito turned around to see Klein, who was quickly getting overwhelmed by Guardians. "Klein!" He jumped into the chaos, standing back-to-back with the Samurai.

MkThey fought back-to-back, cutting down as many as they could. Both covered each others blind spots, not faltering at all. For a moment, the space around them was filled with nothing but the dematerializing bodies of the Guardians.

"Looks like you're still as good as you were in **SAO**, Klein." Kirito smirked as he slashed through two more Guardians.

Klein mirrored the Black Swordsman, cutting down another two. "Did you think that you'd be the only one whose stats ported over? Don't go thinking that you can lord your stats over me, Kirito. I was among the top players of **SAO** too you know!" The Salamander dashed forward, appearing as blur to any of the onlookers.

Alucard stopped to watch Klein as well, amazed by what he saw.

Klein suddenly appeared on the other side of the room, katana in hand. Several of the Guardians, between him and Kirito, stood motionless. A sly smirk formed on the samurai's face as he sheathed his katana. Seconds later, the Guardians behind him dematerialized. "Told you." He unsheathed his katana once more.

The No-Life King scoffed, acting not even the least bit impressed. "Don't think that you're impressive..." He muttered under his breath. The ancient Nosferatu eyed several Guardians, all of which were starting to surround him. He smirked, loving the thrill of being completely outnumbered. "Show me what you've got." Alucard reversed his grip on his sword.

The Guardians charged at him. The vampire ducked and dodged a majority of the slashes and jabs, blocking and parrying the rest of them. For a moment he was a crimson blur, moving between the Guardians with relative ease. He noted how closely packed everyone else was in the massive room.

"Don't linger in one single area!" Alucard shouted, switching back his grip to a normal one. "Spread out, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed!"

His teammates nodded in agreement. Agil, Klein, and Anderson spread themselves around the room, while Liz, Silica, and Kirito took to the air. Alucard remained on the ground, alongside Anderson.

Agil swatted aside as many Guardians as he could, swinging around his great axe with a steely determination. "Is there any end to these guys!?" The Gnome Axe-Weilder grunted in frustration as he continued to cut down as many of the mechanical statues as he could.

Another legion of Guardians charged Agil, eager to terminate the Gnome. Seeing an opportunity, Agil raised his right arm. "I guess now isn't the time to hold back..." A yellow glow enveloped his body as he charged through the legion. His axe cut through them like a hot butter knife. When the smoke cleared, Agil was satisfied to see that his targets were completely wiped out.

Before celebrations could be had, at least another hundred more of the mechanical statues spawned in.

"Damnit..." Agil gritted his teeth in frustration, readying himself for the next onslaught of Guardians.

Meanwhile, Klein was in a mess of his own. Liz was being swarmed by Guardians, so Klein, eager to save the damsel in distress, caught their attention. He didn't expect so many to chase after him, as at least one hundred came after him.

"Can't a guy get a break!?" The Salamander shook his fist at his attackers. "I was just trying to be the hero, for once!" When Klein gained enough distance from them, he turned to face the mob of monsters. He tightened his grip on his katana, not wanting to go down without a fight. "Here goes nothing..." Klein charged, headfirst, into the mob.

Anderson was fighting off his group of Guardians, just a short distance away. He took notice of Klein's plight and, not wanting to have to watch the samurai fall, summoned several bayonets. "Hey, samurai!"

Klein stopped his assault. "What is it?"

The bayonet priest chucked the bayonets at the Guardians surrounding Klein. "Take cover!"

Klein noted the hissing noise that the bayonets were emitting. He quickly caught on to what they were. "Crap!" He took off to the sky just as the explosive bayonets went off. The resulting explosion pushed Klein into a wall.

Everyone paused what they were doing to watch the explosion. Anderson watched the explosion, spawning two more bayonets to replace the ones he just tossed. "Amen..."

This little victory was short lived, as more Guardians just replaced the old ones. It wasn't long before the odds were beginning to stack against them. It seemed that no matter how many they destroyed, there was no end to the onslaught. Even Alucard was beginning to tire out from the fight.

"Alucard!"

The vampire paused his assault, eying the source of the voice. It turned out to be Leafa. "What is it?"

The blonde Sylph gestured toward the ceiling of the room. A huge hatch was located at the top of the room. "We need to get to the top of the room! That's where the exit is!"

Alucard nodded. When he looked up he was greeted by hundreds of Guardians, all swarming the skies like insects. The vampire knew that the odds were far staked against him and his allies. His only option, at this point was to release his control art restrictions to at least level 3, maybe level 2. "No choice…"

Time seemed to slow down as the room suddenly darkened. All eyes turned to the source of the sudden darkness. Even the Guardians, A.I. with no sentience of any kind, turned to face the source of the twilight.

"What the hell..?" Kirito muttered under his breath. At the center of the cloud was the being known as Alucard.

"Releasing control art restrictions to level 2…" Alucard's hat seemed to glide off his head, morphing into the shadow of it's owner. "Approval of situation A recognized. Commencing the Cromwell invocation. Ability restrictions released until the enemies have been rendered silent…" He formed a square with his hands, holding them out in front of his face. Several crimson eyes formed within the shadow of his coat. "Allow me to show you how a REAL monster does battle!" A shadowy mass surrounded the vampire as he leapt into the sky.

The Guardians seemed to register Alucard as the biggest threat in the room, as ALL of the them attempted to stop the monster from reaching the door on the ceiling. The shadows that surrounded Alucard leapt into action, tearing any Guardian that came within a few feet of him into mechanical shreds. It wasn't long until he hit the door on the ceiling. The vampire used a bit of magic to latch onto the ceiling, simultaneously pulling out his guns.

"Where do you get a pair of guns like those?" Klein muttered under his breath.

Alucard began to unleash a barrage of bullets upon the remaining Guardians. This gave the rest of the group an opening to fly through.

"This is our chance!" Kirito summoned his wings and blasted off into the skies above. The others nodded and followed suit.

Anderson, due to his lack of wings, groaned in frustration. "Why can't the door just be at the end of a really long hallway?" The bayonet priest noticed the hole in the Guardians defenses beginning to close. In response, Anderson dashed up one of the walls and began to wall jump between the many walls in the room. It wasn't long before he caught up to the group.

Alucard stopped his volley of bullets and began to pry the entrance to the next floor open. As soon as he forced the door open, everyone eagerly climed into the next room. The moment the last of the group escaped the mash pit below, the door slammed shut.

"Is everyone alright?" Kirito sheathed his duel blades.

Klein was panting in exhaustion. "That was only the first floor…" He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. "I don't think I'm gonna last the entire dungeon."

"You'll have to." Alucard pocketed his duel handguns. "The lives of hundreds are currently at stake. Don't let your petty limits stop you here, human."

Klein nodded in understanding as he got off his feet. "Anyone else think that this room is a little on the dark and dank side?"

"He's right, this place is giving me the creeps." Liz gripped her mace tightly.

The room seemed to stretch into the void, with no indication of how large the room really was. The floor suddenly began to shift violently.

"Everyone, get down!" Kirito shouted. The group seemed to split as a giant wall formed between the two newly formed groups.

Walls began to form as dimly lit torches began to light the newly formed walls.

**"Looks like you made it passed Stage 1." **Oberon's voice echoed all around them. **"Don't get cocky, it'll only get more difficult from here on out. Trust me, you'll be writhing in agony before you even reach the halfway point of this floor."**

Kirito gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't underestimate us! Your arrogance will be your downfall!"

**"And your anger will be yours."** The self anointed king responded slyly. **"Before you is a labyrinth that features no visible end. At the same time there is an end. How can something have no end but eventually end? I'll let you figure out what that means on your own. But don't take too long; you only have 1 hour and 27 minutes left. Good luck…"** Oberon cackled as his voice slowly faded away.

Kirito took a deep breath as he let his anger pass through him. That's when he finally took into account of who was separated from who.

With him was Klein, Lisbeth, and Alucard. On the other side of the wall was Silica, Agil, Leafa and the guy named Anderson.

"It looks like the only way to regroup is to head into the labyrinth." Alucard suddenly spoke up.

"He's right." A thick Scottish accent that Kirito immediately identified as Anderson's rang out from the other side of the wall. "We're going to have to split up and pray that we cross paths eventually."

Alucard nodded in agreement. "We're heading into the maze right now. I recommend that Anderson take point on your side; I shall take point on mine."

It wasn't long before both groups went down their own paths and into the dim corridors of the immense labyrinth. Alucard eyed every corner of every hall for any sign of enemies. Kirito stood directly behind the ancient vampire with Klein guarding their backs. Lisbeth was sandwiched between the two.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Alucard." Kirito followed the nosferatu as they rounded a corner. "Just how old are you anyway? I mean, Klein and Agil are in their twenties and the rest of us are in our teenage years so where does that put you?"

The No-Life King kept his back turned away from the 16 year old. "Does my age really matter?"

Kirito seemed to catch a glimpse of the monster's face. He was surprised to see that the ever present toothy grin that Alucard always had plastered on his face was absent. Instead, there was a somber look in his crimson eyes. They didn't carry that hyperactive madness that was merciless in combat, but a tired solemness that only the saddest of people could have.

"Come on man!" Klein smirked, mostly because he didn't see, or didn't notice, the sullen look on Alucard's face. "You can't be that old."

Lisbeth was highly attuned to picking up negative emotions, as she spent a good portion of the last year of SAO with Kirito, who was well known amongst their circle as one to suffer bouts of depression. "Klein, not now."

Alucard's tuned out their questions and repeated Oberon's riddle in his head._ Before you is a labyrinth that features no visible end. At the same time there is an end. How can something have no end but stop so suddenly?_

He was left to ponder the question as he led his group further into the labyrinth.

_This labyrinth better not end with a dead end._

* * *

**Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ On top of the World Tree**

**January 22, 2025 (5:22 P.M. ~ 1 hour and 38 minutes left on the clock...)**

Asuna stared at the ground below her cage somberly. There was a deep sense of foreboding in her heart. Something terrible was about to happen and there was going to be nothing that she could do about it.

The sound of the entrance to her cage opening filled her ears. She expected to see Sugou in all his narcissistic glory. Asuna was taken aback by what she saw instead.

"Why is there a giant slug in my cage?" Asuna raised an eyebrow. She didn't know whether to be intimidated or disgusted.

"For your information, I'm one of Sugou's top scientist." The smug grin formed on the giant slugs face. "I'm here to take you to my boss."

An idea quickly popped up into the chestnut haired girl's head. "Really?" She pouted ever so slightly. "And here I was wondering when he would finally come get me. It's so dull in here all by my lonesome."

The slug stared at he quizzically. "You're oddly obedient. Sugou told me that you weren't the submissive type. Are you trying to pull something?"

"Not at all." Asuna placed her hands on her cheeks and feigned a blush. "I just realized how handsome Sugou was in this world compared to how he looked in the real world. What's there not to love, he is going to be god of Alfheim soon." On the inside, Asuna was gagging.

I think I'm going to have wash my mouth laundry detergent.

The slug merely turned around and began to work on opening the door. "Looks like you've finally joined the winning side, Miss Asuna. Sugou is going to be so pleased when he finds…"

BAM!

As soon as the door to the cage was opened, Asuna beat the slug over the head with one of the chairs in her room. It simply collapsed into a slimy mass of purple.

"You're right…" Asuna smiled as she maneuvered around the incapacitated gunk of purple. "... I am on the winning side. It's just that it's not Sugou's side."

As the captive queen took her first step outside of her cage for the first time, one thing became obvious to her. The Endgame was nearing...

* * *

**_Alucard: Did you enjoy the chapter human? I hope you did_**_. _**_You're probably wondering what happened to the author. Let's just say that he's being punished for his failure to get this chapter out. _**

**_Kirito: Come on, Alucard. It was just some writers block; it happends to everyone. At least he didn't abandon it like most authors that suffer from writers block. _**

**_Leafa: That doesn't excuse the fact that he said that he would release chapter 8 as soon as he was finished fixing up chapters 1- 7. After fixng chapter 7, he disappeared for half a year!_**

**_Alucard: Hopefully he'll think twice next time he decides to take a break. If he gets another writers block, I'll be happy to "jog" his brain a bit. _**

**_Kirito: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you soon! (I hope...)_**


End file.
